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Petroleum and Natural Gas 
In Oklahoma 


By 

L. C. SNIDER, A. M., 

x * 

Assistant Director of the Oklahoma 
Geological Survey 



Oklahoma City, Okla. 

THE HARLOW-RATLIFF COMPANY 
1913 


Copyright 1913 
By 

The Harlow-Ratliff Company 



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4 






©CI.A361267 




PREFACE 


This hand book is written with the view of putting 
within reach of all interested, a comprehensive but brief 
review of the oil and gas industry of Oklahoma, and the 
prospects for the future development of this industry. A 
large portion of the book is taken up with descriptions of 
the producing fields and discussions of the conditions in 
these fields. The geology of the State is considered with 
reference to the occurrence of oil and gas in the developed 
areas and with reference to the probable or possible occur¬ 
rence of these substances in other portions of the State. 
The methods of prospecting for oil and gas and the use of 
geology as a guide for prospecting are considered rather 
fully. Some items of general interest, such as brief notes 
on transportation and refining, are included. In the con¬ 
sideration of the oil and gas of the different fields it is 
necessary to refer constantly to the geologic conditions 
which exist in the area. For the benefit of those who have 
had no training in geology brief discussions of the nature 
and mode of origin of rocks, and of the structure or posi¬ 
tion in which the rocks are found are given. All the geol¬ 
ogic terms used in the book are explained in these sections. 

Development maps showing the state of development 
in the early part of 1913, are given for all the important 
pools. The information for these maps has been obtained 
from the maps of the Gulf Pipe Line Company and of the 
Tulsa Mapping Company. The character of the rocks 
passed through in drilling in the different pools is illus¬ 
trated by means of typical well logs. The statistics are 
taken from Mineral Resources of the United States pub¬ 
lished by the United States Geological Survey. 


INTRODUCTION 


The daily output of oil in Oklahoma has a value of 
more than $1,000,000 a week. Natural gas to the value 
of more than $135,000 is marketed every seven days. The 
total value of oil and gas is now running at about $70,000,- 
000 a year. These figures more than any words will im¬ 
press on the mind the commercial value of Oklahoma’s oil 
and gas industry. To this amount should be added the 
values of refinery products and natural gas gasoline as well 
as that of the scores of industries which draw on our natu¬ 
ral gas for fuel. The value of our raw products and of 
the industries which subsist directly upon them swell the 
value of these commodities to an enormous total and make 
the oil and gas industry one of the first in the State. 

The present demand for information on oil and gas 
in Oklahoma is enormous. Few, if any, men are better 
qualified to supply this information than the author. Mr. 
Snider has written this book and compiled statistics dur¬ 
ing such times as he was free from official duties. His in¬ 
formation has been drawn in large measure from publica¬ 
tions of the Oklahoma and United States Geological Sur¬ 
veys. This has been materially supplemented by the per¬ 
sonal knowledge of the author, acquired during five years 
of service for the State. During his field and office work 
Mr. Snider has had excellent opportunity to become con¬ 
versant with the oil and gas geology of Oklahoma as a 
whole, and also with geologic and operating conditions in 
each particular field. 

In the preparation of this work the author has had in 
mind to supply general information to those actively en¬ 
gaged in drilling and developing proven territory; to guide 
in a general way those who are courageously “wildcatting” 
in the various parts of the State; and to inform the gen¬ 
eral public and especially the prospective investor as to 


conditions as they now exist. The book is a valuable aid 
to landowners who may or may not believe that oil and gas 
underlie their possessions. 

I have read a large part of Mr. Snider’s manuscript, 
and, at his invitation, have carefully scrutinized his dis¬ 
cussions of the geology of the several oil and gas fields, and 
criticized his statistical data. All are believed to be in 
strict accord with present knowledge. Mr. Snider’s clear, 
concise, and lucid style, his close familiarity with the geol¬ 
ogy of the State, his intimate knowledge of operating con¬ 
ditions in each community, and his firm grasp of the oil 
and gas business, all conspire to commend his work to the 
public. D. W. Ohern. 

Norman, Oklahoma, August 26, 1913. 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Fig. Page. 

1. Diagram illustrating the simultaneous deposition of sand, 

mud, and lime mud near a shore- 3 

2. Diagram illustrating the effect of change of sea level on the 

succession of deposits at a given place--- 

3. Diagram showing an unconformity- 

4. Diagram illustrating dip and strike- 

5. Diagram illustrating anticlines and synclines in section with 

landscape behind _ 6 

6 . Diagram of a fault_ 7 - 7 

7. Diagram illustrating the accumulation of oil and gas in 

anticlines __— 16 

8 . Diagram showing the accumulation of oil and gas in a terrace 

or arrested anticline_ 18 

9. Diagram illustrating the accumulation of oil and gas in a 

lens of sandstone in shale- 19 

10. Diagram illustrating the accumulation of oil in a syncline 

in absence of water_ 20 

11. A. Map record of dip and strfke showing anticlinal structure. 

B. The structure of the area shown in A in cross section- 32 

12. Diagram illustrating the accumulation of oil and gas in an 

unsymmetric anticline _ 35 

13. Map of Oklahoma showing the Ozark Mountain region- 40 

14. Columnar section of the rocks in the Ozark Mountain region 

in Oklahoma _ 42 

15. Map of Oklahoma showing the Pennsylvanian or Sandstone 

Hills region _ 43 

16. Columnar section of the Pennsylvanian rocks in northeast¬ 

ern Oklahoma _ 45 

17. Columnar section of the Pennsylvanian rocks in the region 

south of Arkansas River_ 52 

18. Map of Oklahoma showing the Ouachita, Arbuckle and Wich¬ 

ita Mountain regions_ 18 

19. Map of Oklahoma showing the Cretaceous or Red River 

limestone region _ 59 

20. Diagram illustrating the geologic relation of the Cretaceous 

rocks and the occurrence of oil and gas in them_ 68 

21. Map of Oklahoma showing the Redbeds and Tertiary region 60 

22. Development of the Coody’s Bluff-Alluwe and Nowata pools 

(insert map) __ 88 

23. Development of the Delaware-Childers and California Creek 

pools -.-- 90 

24. Development of the Canary pool_ 94 

25. Development of the Copan, Wann and north part of the Dewey- 

Bartlesville pool _ 96 

26. Development of the Dewey-Bartlesville pool, except the north 

portion ___ 99 

27. Development of- the Hogshooter and Adair pools_ 101 

28. Development of the Bird Creek-Flat Rock pool_105 

29. Development of the Collinsville pool_106 

30. Development of the Glenn pool and northern extension (insert 

map) -108 

31. Development of the Morris pool_ 112 

32. Development of the Henryetta-Schulter pool_ 114 

33. Development of the Muskogee pool_ 116 

34. Development of the north part of the Avant-Ochelata pool_119 

35. Development of the south part of the Avant-Ochelata pool_120 

36. Development of the Cleveland and Osage Junction pools_124 

37. Development of the Wheeler pool_146 

Plate I. Geologic map of Oklahoma_ 39 

Plate II. Map showing location of axes of folds in southeastern Okla¬ 
homa _ 75 

Plate III. Oil and gas development map of Oklahoma_ 84 

Plate IV. Structural and development map of the Ponca City field 129 


01 co 







































TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Introduction. 

I. General geology --- 1 

Nature and mode of formation of rocks_ 1 

Structure of rocks___ 5 

Age of rocks___ 7 

II. Nature and origin of petroleum and natural gas_ 10 

Conditions of occurrence_ 11 

Theories of origin of petroleum and natural gas_ 13 

Accumulation of petroleum and natural gas...15 

III. Prospecting for petroleum and natural gas_ 22 

Nature of the rocks_ _ _ 22 

Relations of oil and gas pools to topographic features.. 24 

Oil trends _ 26 

Oil seeps _ 27 

Asphalt deposits - 29 

Use of instruments in prospecting for oil and gas_ 30 

Geology as an aid to prospecting_ 31 

Locating of wells-'_ 34 

Depth to which prospect wells should be drilled_ 36 

Value of wildcatting_ 37 

IV. Geology of Oklahoma- 39 

General statement - 39 

Ozark Mountain region- 40 

Stratigraphy - 41 

Structure _ 43 

Pennsylvanian area of Sandstone Hills region_ 43 

Sandstone Hills region north of Arkansas River_ 44 

General statement _ 44 

Stratigraphy - 44 

Structure _ 49 

Sandstone Hills region south of Arkansas River.. 50 

General statement _ 50 

Stratigraphy _. 1 ....—. 50 

Structure - 53 

Ouachita Mountain region- 54 

General statement _ 54 

Stratigraphy - 54 

Structure - 55 

Arbuckle Mountain region- 55 

Location and stratigraphy- 55 

History - 57 

Structure - 57 

Wichita Mountain region- 58 

Cretaceous or Red River limestone region- 58 

Redbeds and Tertiary region- 60 

Stratigraphy - 61 

Structure _ 61 

V. Geologic conditions in Oklahoma with special reference to 

prospects for oil and gas- 63 

Ozark Mountain region- 63 

Pennsylvanian or Sandstone Hills region- 64 

Ouachita Mountain region- 65 

Arbuckle Mountain region- 66 

Wichita Mountain region- 67 

Cretaceous or Red River limestone region- 67 

Redbeds region - 69 

VI. History of the oil and gas industry in Oklahoma- 75 

VII. Description of the main oil and gas fields of Oklahoma- S4 

Nowata district - 84 






















































VI11 


Coody’s Bluff-Alluwe pool- 84 

Nowata pool --- 87 

Delaware-Childers pool - 88 

California Creek pool- 89 

Adair pool - 91 

Bartlesville district - 91 

Canary pool - 92 

Copan pool - 93 

Wann pool - 95 

Dewey-Bartlesville pool - 95 

Hogshooter pool _ 190 

Tulsa district _ 192 

Bird Creek-Flat Rock pool--192 

Collinsville pool _ 194 

Sapulpa district -197 

Glenn pool -197 

Okmulgee district - 111 

Bald Hill pool_111 

Morris pool -HI 

Preston pool - 113 

Beggs pool _114 

Henryetta-Schulter pool _114 

Muskogee district .—--115 

Muskogee pool - 115 

Osage district _ 117 

Avant-Ochelata pool -118 

Osage Junction pool- 121 

Other pools _ 121 

Pawnee County district- 122 

Cushing district _126 

Kay County district -128 

Ponca City pool- 129 

Structure _ 130 

Development, -130 

Productive sands _ 131 

Deeper sands _ 132 

Newkirk pool - 133 

Blackwell pool _134 

VIII. Oil and gas development outside the main field_136 

Occurrences of oil and gas to the south and southeast 

of the main field_ 137 

Wewoka and Seminole County-137 

Poteau _ 139 

Coal County -141 

Other wells _142 

Occurrences of oil and gas in the Cretaceous or Red 

River limestone area_143 

Madill pool _ 143 

Occurrences in the Redbeds near the Arbuckle and 

Wichita mountains _143 

Wheeler pool _ 144 

Well at Healdton_ 146 

Loco pool _ 147 

Duncan pool __ 148 

Lawton pool _149 

Gotebo pool - 149 

Development at Granite_ 150 

IX. Character of the Oklahoma oils_ 151 

X. Natural gas situation_ 158 

Waste of natural gas- 159 

Natural gas as a source of gasoline_161 

XI. Transportation _ 164 

XII. Refining _168 

XIII. Review of conditions by counties_170 





























































I. 


GENERAL GEOLOGY 

NATURE AND MODE OF FORMATION OF ROCKS. 

Rocks are divided into three great classes—igneous, 
sedimentary, and metamorphic. The igneous rocks are 
those which were formed by the action of heat {ignis, 
Latin for fire). They have cooled into their present form 
from a liquid or molten condition. The igneous rocks are 
generally hard and crystalline and do not, as a rule, occur 
in layers or beds. There are very many types of igneous 
rocks of widely varying appearance and texture, but gran¬ 
ite is probably the most common and best known variety 
and may be considered as the type of the igneous rocks of 
Oklahoma where they occur only in the Arbuckle and 
Wichita mountains and in a very small area along Spavi- 
naw Creek in Mayes County. 

The sedimentary rocks—as is indicated by their 
name—are those which were deposited as sediments in 
water. We know that ages ago all the territory now inclu¬ 
ded in Oklahoma was covered by the ocean for vast pe¬ 
riods of time. Gravel, sand, and soil were washed down 
by the rivers from the surrounding land and deposited as 
layers of sediment on the ocean bottom. These sediments 
in many places were piled up to thicknesses of thousands 
of feet before the ocean was finally withdrawn and the 
area of Oklahoma became land. Since the rocks of practi¬ 
cally all of Oklahoma are sedimentary and since all the oil 
and gas occur in these rocks, an understanding of the 
method of their formation and their relations is important. 

The sedimentary rocks consist of shales or mud rock, 
sandstone, limestone, chert or flint, and conglomerate or 
pudding stone, named in the order of abundance. The con¬ 
glomerates, sandstones, and shales were formed by the 


2 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


gravel, sand, and mud respectively which were washed 
down from the surrounding land into the ancient ocean 
and settled to the bottom. The limestone was built up 
principally of the shells of sea animals. When the 
animals died these shells sank to the bottom and accumu¬ 
lated there. For the most part the shells were partially 
dissolved and were ground up by the wave action into a 
lime mud which preserved no trace of the shell structure. 
In many cases, however, the shells were preserved entire 
and some of the limestones of northeastern Oklahoma and 
of the Arbuckle Mountains are largely made up of well- 
preserved fossil shells. Fossil shells are also found in 
shale, and the shells or their impressions in sandstones. 
The mode of origin of flint or chert is not definitely known. 
It is certainly formed by the action of water, but the ex¬ 
act method is in dispute, and was probably different for 
different deposits. 

It is easily seen that the gravel and sand, which now 
form the conglomerates and sandstones, would be deposited 
near shore or where there was sufficient action by waves 
or currents to carry the coarse material in suspension, 
while the finer particles of mud would be carried out far¬ 
ther and deposited in more quiet waters. Some lime from 
shells would be deposited with the gravel, sand, and mud, 
but the quantity would be so small in comparison with that 
of the other materials that it could scarcely be noticed. It 
would be only in clear, relatively quiet water that pure, or 
nearly pure, lime mud would be formed. 

From the way in which these different rocks are form¬ 
ed, it is evident that all three kinds of rock would be form¬ 
ing at the same time, that is, at the same time that gravel 
and sand were being deposited near shore, clay mud would 
be deposited farther from shore where the waters were 
more quiet, and lime mud would be forming farther out in 
the quiet, clear water. This is shown in figure 1. When 
the sea level is at AB, gravel is deposited near shore and 
sand from A to a, mud from a to b and lime mud from b 
to c . 

The different materials would naturally grade into 
each other laterally, that is, some fine sand would be de- 


GENERAL GEOLOGY 


3 



posited with the mud and some mud and extremely fine 
sand with the lime mud. It is also evident that changing 
conditions such as deepening of the water, elevation of the 
land, or a change in the direction of the ocean currents 



Fig. 2.—Diagram illustrating the effect of change of sea level on the 
succession of deposits at a given place. 


might cause a change in the nature or the distribution of 
sediments. Thus in figure 2, when the water level was at 
ab gravel or sand would be deposited over the area ac, mud 
over cd, and lime mud over de. A change in level bringing 
the water level to AB would cause sand to be deposited 
over AC, mud over CD, and lime mud over DE. We might 
thus have a layer of sand overlaid by a layer of mud or of 
lime mud, and mud overlaid by lime mud. A change of 
shore line in the opposite direction would deposit sand 
above mud, mud above lime mud, and lime mud farther 
out on the sea bottom. Any succession or number of sue- 























4 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


cessions of the three or any two of the three might be pro¬ 
duced by varying conditions. 

A greater change in the level of the sea might cause 
a great area of the sea bottom to become land, and the lay¬ 
ers of gravel, sand, mud, and lime mud would then become 
hardened by the pressure of the overlying layers and by 
chemical changes and would be cemented to form conglom¬ 
erate, sandstone, shale or slate, or limestone respectively. 

As soon as the region became land the air and the 
water would begin their work of breaking down and car¬ 
rying away the rock. While both agents are active the 
water is the more important. Running water is the great 
agent for carrying rock material from the land surface. 
Water also assists in the removal of rock by dissolving it 
and carrying it away in solution. The cementing material 
of sandstones is dissolved and the sandstone crumbles into 
sand which is easily washed away. This action would 
soon form hills and valleys so that a rough land surface 
'would be developed. A further change in the sea level 
might bring this surface below the sea when it would again 
receive deposits as before. The earlier and later deposits 



Fig. 3.—Diagram showing an unconformity. 


would, however, be separated by a break or uneven sur¬ 
face—the old land surface—which condition is known as 
an unconformity. These conditions are illustrated in fig- 
















































































































GENERAL GEOLOGY 


5 


lire 3 where the irregular line AB represents an unconfor¬ 
mity. 


STRUCTURE OF ROCKS. 

From the description of the mode of formation of the 
sedimentary rocks, it is apparent that the rocks would be 
deposited in a horizontal or level-lying position or would 
be slightly inclined if deposited on a sloping sea bottom. 
It is seldom, however, that rocks which have been exposed 
as land for a long time remain in this level position. The 
earth is apparently growing smaller and this contraction 
causes wrinkles or folds to appear in the rocks of the sur¬ 
face in the same way that the skin of an apple becomes 
wrinkled as the apple dries up. These folds are not caused 
by pressure from beneath but from the, sides. The method 
of their formation may be shown by grasping a number 
of sheets of cardboard or heavy paper by the ends and then 
pressing the hands together. A slight pressure will make 
only a simple bend in the paper so that a portion of it is 
inclined to the rest. A stronger pressure will force the 



paper into a well developed fold—a trough or crest as the 
case may be—and a still stronger pressure may cause 
more than one fold to be formed. If the paper is very 
stiff and the pressure sufficiently great some of the sheets 
may break and the broken ends be shoved past each other. 

















6 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


As has been said, the rocks which form the surface of 
the earth have almost everywhere been subjected to this 
lateral pressure and have been more or less folded, so that 
they are not level-lying but have an inclination or slope 
away from the horizontal. This slope or inclination is 
called the dip. The line along which a bed comes to the 
surface is the outcrop and the general direction of the line, 
at right angles to the dip is the strike (Fig. 4). Where the 
surface rocks dip in one direction for a long distance the 
structure is known as a monocline. When the dip changes in 
short distance, that is when the rocks are in folds, two forms 
of structure may result, an upfold or arch, known as an anti¬ 
cline and a downfold or trough, known as a syncline. (Fig. 
5). Both anticlines and synclines are usually much longer 



Fig. 5.'—Diagram illustrating anticlines and synclines in section with 
landscape behind. (U. S. Geol. Survey.) 


than they are wide but in some cases the length and breadth 
are about equal. An anticline of this sort is called a dome 
and a syncline is called a basin, or saucer-shaped structure. 
Any one of these types of folds may vary greatly in size— 
some folds are much less than a mile in length, while others 
are many miles in both length and width. The steepness 
of the dip also varies. In some cases the rocks are stand¬ 
ing on edge or have been overturned and in others the dip 
is so slight as not to be visible, so that the elevation of the 
ledge of rock must be determined at different places to find 
the direction and amount of the dip. 

In some localities where the folding is very sharp, or 
where the rocks are under a stretching force rather than 
a pressure, the rocks have broken along some lines and the 



















GENERAL GEOLOGY 


7 


rocks on the opposite sides of the break have moved up¬ 
ward or downward with reference to each other. In some 
cases the blocks have slipped laterally along the break as 
well as up or down. Such a break as this is called a fault. 
(Fig. 6). 



So far as our knowledge goes at present, the structure 
of the rocks is of prime importance in the accumulation of 
oil and gas and the meaning of the terms anticline, syn¬ 
cline, monocline, dome, and fault should be well under¬ 
stood by anyone interested in prospecting or in developing 
oil and gas fields. 

The origin of the present surface forms, the hills and 
valleys, can not be considered fully in this connection, but it 
may be said here that the surface features very seldom 
bear any definite relation to the structure. The hills do 
not necessarily correspond to the anticlines nor the val¬ 
leys to the synclines and a straight bluff does not usually 
indicate a fault, although it may do so. The presence of a 
fold is not shown by the elevation of the surface but solely 
by the dip of the rocks. This fact is well shown in figure 5. 

AGE OF ROCKS. 

< 

As a matter of convenience geologists have divided 
the rocks forming the outer portion of the earth’s crust 
into a series of groups according to their age. The oldest 
of the sedimentary rocks are those which were deposited 
first and which occur lowest in the geologic column or sec¬ 
tion. Each of the great groups or systems is* marked by 
























































































































































8 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


the fossils or traces of animal and plant life which it con¬ 
tains. By means of these fossils, rocks of a certain age 
can be distinguished anywhere they are found, since the 
fossils of any system are different in many respects from 
the fossils of the systems above and below it. Names are 
applied to these systems of rocks—the name usually being 
taken from the locality where the rocks are best developed 
or where they were first studied. In this book little refer¬ 
ence is made to the age of the rocks, but it is almost im¬ 
possible to discuss the geology of a region without at least 
mentioning the names of the principal systems exposed in 
that region. In the main oil and gas region the rocks are 
of Pennsylvanian age, the name indicating simply that the 
rocks are of the same age—were deposited at relatively 
the same time—as the coal bearing rocks of Pennsylvania. 
The rocks of the extreme northeastern portion of the State, 
east of Grand River, are of Mississippian age, that is they 
are of the same age as the rocks which were first studied 
in the United States along the Mississippi River in Mis¬ 
souri, Iowa, and Illinois. The rocks of the western half 
of the State are of Permian age. The term Permian comes 
from the name of a province of Russia where these rocks 
are well developed and where they were first studied. In 
the Arbuckle, Wichita, and Ouachita mountains rocks of 
ages older than the Mississippian are exposed, but these 
areas are so small and unimportant from our standpoint 
that the names of the systems need not be given. In a 
narrow belt along Red River, rocks of Cretaceous age are 
exposed. This name is taken from the Latin word for chalk 
because rocks of this age form the famous chalk cliffs of 
England. In the extreme western part of the State rocks 
of a much younger age than those mentioned occur which 
are known as Tertiary. 

In connection with the discussion of oil and gas in the 
State, the Mississippian, Pennsylvanian, Permian, and Cre¬ 
taceous rocks are important. The Mississippian rocks are 
the oldest of these and are composed principally of lime¬ 
stone and chert. They are known to drillers as the “Mis¬ 
sissippi Lime.” They outcrop in the northeastern part of the 
State, as has been said, and, dipping to the southwest, pass 
back under’the sandstones and shales of the Pennsylva- 



GENERAL GEOLOGY 


9 


nian which contain the important deposits of oil and gas. 
Coming in to the west of the Pennsylvanian rocks and lying 
above them are the younger Permian rocks which, in Okla¬ 
homa, consist almost entirely of red sandstones and shales 
and are known as Redbeds. To the south, between the Ar- 
buckle and Ouachita mountains the Pennsylvanian rocks 
pass under the Cretaceous rocks which are still younger 
than the Permian Redbeds. These Cretaceous rocks con¬ 
tain some oil and gas but so far no large pools have been 
developed in them. 

The systems of rocks are divided into smaller groups 
known as formations. A formation is defined as a map- 
pable unit, that is a layer of rock or group of layers which 
extends entirely across the area under consideration and 
has sufficient width of outcrop to be mapped. Formations 
may consist of single ledges or beds of rock but commonly 
are made up of two or more closely related beds. 

The separate beds are sometimes called members. 
Thus, the principal oil sands of the main oil and gas field 
may be considered as members of the Cherokee formation. 
The formations and members are usually named from the 
place where they are best developed or where they were 
first studied. The Pitkin limestone which outcrops east 
of Muskogee and Ft. Gibson is an example of a formation 
consisting of only one kind of rock. The Ft. Scott forma¬ 
tion, known to the drillers as the Oswego, is usually called 
the Ft. Scott limestone, but really consists of two lime¬ 
stones separated by a shale. Formations may vary in 
thickness from a few feet to thousands of feet. Thus the 
Chattanooga shale in northeastern Oklahoma is not over 
50 feet thick while the Arbuckle limestone in the Arbuckle 
Mountains is over 5,000 feet thick. Formation names are 
a great convenience since they provide a means of desig¬ 
nating certain beds of rock without repeating extended 
descriptions. They are necessarily used extensively in the 
description of the geology of any region. 


II. 


NATURE AND ORIGIN OF PETROLEUM AND . 

NATURAL GAS 

NATURE OF PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS. 

Natural gas, petroleum, and asphalt or mineral paraf¬ 
fin are all closely related substances forming the different 
phases of a series of chemical compounds composed of 
hydrogen and, carbon. The simpler compounds of this se¬ 
ries are gases while the more complex are liquids and 
solids. Neither gas, oil, nor asphalt are simple compounds 
but are mixtures of different members of this series of 
hydrocarbons. This condition is responsible for the large 
number of products obtained from petroleum since, in re¬ 
fining, the compounds can be separated from each other 
and as they form a continuous series almost any number 
of products can be made by separating the petroleum into 
different fractions by distillation. This matter is consid¬ 
ered more fully under the section on refining. 

As has been indicated, natural gas is a mixture of 
simpler members of the hydrocarbon series which are 
gaseous at ordinary temperatures. Gas occurs in greater 
or less quantities with all petroleum. It is colorless, and 
has a slight odor. The heavier members of the gaseous 
hydrocarbons are very nearly related to the lighter mem¬ 
bers of the liquid ones and may be changed to liquids by 
pressure at low temperatures. This accounts for the 
manufacture of gasoline from natural gas which is becom¬ 
ing an important industry. The gas which is given off 
from oil wells, known as casing-head gas, is composed of 
the heavier gaseous hydrocarbons and is especially adapted 
to the manufacture of gasoline. 


NATURE AND ORIGIN 


11 


Petroleum is composed of the hydrocarbons that are 
liquid at ordinary temperatures and pressures and of the 
hydrocarbons that are solid ordinarily but which are dis¬ 
solved in the liquid hydrocarbons. The physical properties 
of petroleum from different fields and even from different 
wells in the same field vary widely. Some oils are thin and 
contain considerable volatile constituents, while others are 
thick and viscous. In color the oils range from almost 
colorless through a variety of tints of brown and green to 
black. The Pennsylvania oils are mostly of an amber 
color, those of Oklahoma are generally dark green to black 
and those of California are generally dark reddish brown 
to black. The specific gravity ranges from 0.771 to 1.06 
according to Redwood. That is, the weight of a given 
volume of oil varies from 0.771 to 1.06 times that of an 
equal volume of pure water. In general the lighter color¬ 
ed oils have the less specific gravity and produce, when 
refined, the greater amounts of burning oil and less of the 
heavy lubricating oils and residuum. 

The proportion of the lighter oils, gasoline and kero¬ 
sene, to the heavier oils which are fitted only for lubricating 
and fuel oils varies very widely. The nature of the base 
or solid hydrocarbons dissolved in the oil also varies. Oils 
are known as asphalt or paraffin-base oils according to 
which substance predominates in the base. Some oils con¬ 
tain either a pure paraffin or a pure asphalt base but much 
more commonly the two substances occur in the same oil. 
The Pennsylvania, Lima-Indiana, and Mid-continent oils 
are principally paraffin-base oils, while those of California 
are commonly asphalt-base oils. 

The properties and composition of the Oklahoma oils 
are considered more fully in the section on that subject. 

CONDITIONS OF OCCURRENCE OF PETROLEUM 

AND NATURAL GAS. 

GENERAL STATEMENT. 

All the known deposits of oil and gas occur in sedi¬ 
mentary rocks, and the majority of the occurrences are 
distant from areas of igneous rocks. Deposits of considera- 


12 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


ble size have been found in all sorts of sedimentary rocks 
but limestones and sandstones contain oil and gas much 
more commonly than do shales. This is probably only be¬ 
cause the limestones and sandstones are more open and 
porous and so offer an opportunity for the oil and gas to 
collect. So far as observations go it is in the pores and 
small spaces of the rocks that these substances occur and 
there are probably no “lakes” of oil—that is no large cav¬ 
erns filled with oil. The advantage of “shooting” oil wells 
depends on this fact. Often when a small quantity of oil 
is found in a well, drilling is stopped and a heavy charge 
of nitroglycerine is lowered to the bottom of the well and 
discharged there. This has the effect of shattering the rock 
and opening it up so that the oil can flow through more 
rapidly and greatly increases the production of the well. 

Almost invariably there is a layer of a tight, close- 
grained rock immediately above the porous rock. This is 
known as the cap rock. 

In the Oklahoma field the principal oil and gas pools 
are closely related to the presence of certain structures, 
notably the anticlines and monoclines. It cannot be said 
that all the developed fields are on anticlines or that every 
anticline contains oil and gas in sufficient quantity to pay 
for drilling. In some of the developed fields the structure 
is so gentle that it can be determined only by extremely 
careful detailed work so that the relation of the accumu¬ 
lation to the structure cannot yet be definitely stated. 

In some regions, in Mexico for example, the occurrence 
of oil seeps or springs seems to be definitely related to the 
presence of large bodies of oil beneath the surface. No oil 
seeps of this kind, however, are known to occur in Okla¬ 
homa except possibly near the Arbuckle Mountains. All 
the important deposits of oil and gas occur in rocks which 
contain abundant organic remains or are closely associa¬ 
ted with rocks containing such remains. 

Oil and gas are usually but not always associated with 
strong heads of salt water. 

There is no apparent relation between oil fields and 
streams, coasts, mountains, or other surface features un- 


NATURE AND ORIGIN 


13 


less these features result from the structures that control 
the accumulation of the oil. 

It should be repeated that these statements are gem 
era! and are intended to apply only to commercially impor¬ 
tant bodies of oil and gas and especially to the conditions 
in the Oklahoma field. Small quantities of either oil or gas 
or both together or of closely related substances may be 
found under almost any conditions, but the statements 
made above will hold for the principal deposits and espe¬ 
cially for those of Oklahoma. 

THEORIES OF ORIGIN OF PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS. 

Several theories as to the origin of oil and gas based 
on the nature of the substances and on the conditions of 
their occurrence as given in the preceding sections have 
been formulated. The theories of origin fall into two 
groups—the inorganic and the organic. The inorganic 
theory holds that oil and gas have been formed by the re¬ 
action of certain inorganic or mineral compounds in the 
earth’s crust. So far as known the inorganic substances 
from which oil and gas could be formed can exist only at 
high temperatures. This makes it necessary to believe 
that the oil and gas were formed at considerable depths 
beneath the surface or near intrusions of igneous rocks. 
Either of these ideas makes it necessary to account for the 
transference of the oil and gas of the principal fields of the 
world for great distances since practically all of the de¬ 
posits are found at a less depth than 4,000 feet and also at 
considerable distance from igneous intrusions. The addi¬ 
tional fact that all the great deposits are found in sedi¬ 
mentary rocks is hard to explain under this theory. These 
and other considerations have prevented the general ac¬ 
ceptance of this theory, although there are some authori¬ 
ties that do not find the difficulties insurmountable and ac¬ 
cept this theory for the origin of oil and gas. 

The generally accepted theory of the origin of oil and 
gas is that both substances have been formed by slow de¬ 
cay of organic (plant and vegetable) matter buried in the 
rocks. Substances greatly resembling crude oil have been 


14 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


produced by heating fish and other organic substances in 
closed vessels under considerable pressure and at low tem¬ 
peratures for a considerable length of time. It is thought, 
then, that the plant and vegetable matter buried with the 
rocks as they were deposited have been slowly changed to 
oil and gas by the effect of low temperatures and high pres¬ 
sures acting through very long periods of time. Some of 
the facts that seem in accord with this theory are the oc¬ 
currence of the oil and gas in the sedimentary rocks and 
their absence in the igneous rocks; also the occurrence of 
fossils in the sedimentary rocks containing the oil and gas 
or in closely associated rocks. The distance from moun¬ 
tain ranges or large bodies of igneous rocks at which the 
principal fields occur and the absence of any indications 
that the rocks near by have been subjected to the degree 
of heat which seems to be required by the inorganic 
theory, are additional evidence in favor of the organic 
theory. In regard to the origin of the oil and gas of Okla¬ 
homa, the organic theory seems to be much more satisfac¬ 
tory than the inorganic. 

Another feature to be considered in connection with 
the origin of oil and gas is the question as to whether 
these substances have originated in or near the rocks in 
which they now occur or whether they have migrated into 
them from other rocks at greater or less distance. Both 
oil and gas occur in the rocks under great pressure and are 
usually kept from escaping to the surface by layers of 
shale or other very close-grained rock through which it 
seems that neither substance can pass. It is impossible 
that the oil and gas now in the sands of the Oklahoma field 
could have moved into these sands from beneath without 
passing through considerable thicknesses of shale, and if 
conditions were such as to force the oil and gas through 
this shale, it seems difficult to account for them coming to 
within a few hundred feet of the surface and then stop¬ 
ping. The same difficulty is encountered in trying to ac¬ 
count for the lateral movement of oil and gas. The sands 
in which they occur sometimes cover an area of several 
hundred square miles, but at some distance from the pools 
they pinch out and give place to other rocks, usually shales. 
In fact, most of the sands of the Oklahoma fields can be 


NATURE AND ORIGIN 


15 


regarded as immense pumpkin-seed-shaped masses of sand 
buried in the shales with which they are associated. It 
seems just as impossible that the oil and gas should have 
moved sideways through the shales for any great distance 
as for it to have moved upward. The evidence then seems 
to favor the idea that the oil and gas have originated in 
the sands where they now occur or in the shales and lime¬ 
stones very closely associated with them. 

ACCUMULATION OF PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS. 

Observation of the developed oil fields in Pennsylva¬ 
nia, Ohio, and West Virginia convinced many of the ob¬ 
servers that there is some definite relation between the 
accumulation of oil and gas and the structure of the rocks. 
It was determined that the principal oil and gas pools lay 
along the crests of the anticlinal folds; therefore, the 
theory of accumulation based on these observations has 
become known as the anticlinal theory. This theory has 
been of great value in locating prospective oil and gas re¬ 
gions, but the attempt to apply it to other fields where the 
geologic conditions are not similar to those where it was 
originally applied has not always been successful. Various 
changes have been made in the theory, but the fundamen¬ 
tal part of the theory—that the accumulation of oil and 
gas depends on the structure—is still generally accepted. 

The anticlinal theory is, in brief, that oil and gas were 
originally widely disseminated throughout the formations 
in which they are found, or in contiguous formations, and 
their segregation is believed to be due to the different 
specific gravities of oil, gas, and water. If a porous strat¬ 
um contains all these substances, when it is tilted by 
geologic causes, they will arrange themselves according to 
specific gravity; the gas, being lighter, will be driven into 
the higher parts of the stratum (toward the crest of th^ 
anticline), the oil will be floated on top of the water, while 
the water occupies the lower portions of the stratum 
(those nearest the syncline). 

According to the anticlinal theory, then, four factors 
are necessary for the accumulation of quantities of oil and 


16 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


gas: a source of the material (that is, rocks which in their 
original level or nearly level condition contained the oil 
and gas or the substances from which they are formed) ; 
a porous stratum in which considerable quantities of the 
substance may collect; some structure tilting the rocks 
so that the oil, gas, and water may arrange themselves ac¬ 
cording to their specific gravities; and finally a layer of 
impervious rock above the porous layer to prevent the oil 
and gas from escaping to the surface. These conditions are 
represented in the accompanying figure. 



stone is represented by the dotted pattern and the shale 
by the closely ruled pattern. The line AB represents the 
present land surface and the broken lines represent the 
strata which have been removed by erosion. The oil and 
gas are shown collected in the sandstones under the crests 
of the anticlines at X and Y. At Y the shale has been re¬ 
moved from over the upper sandstone, allowing the oil and 
gas to escape. 

As work progressed in areas outside the Pennsylvania 
and West Virginia fields it was found that the variations 
of structure made it necessary to modify the anticlinal 
theory in some respects. The presence of a true anticline 
has been shown not to be necessary for accumulation, but 
any structure or tilting of the rocks which will cause the 











NATURE AND ORIGIN 


17 


oil, gas, and water to arrange themselves in the order of 
their specific gravities will suffice for the accumulation if 
the oil and gas are sealed in from the surface. On this 
•account a recent writer (F. G. Clapp, Economic Geology, 
Vol. V, No. 6), has proposed a new classification of oil 
fields based on structure as follows: 

I. Where anticlinal and synclinal structure exists. 

(a) Strong anticlines standing alone. 

(b) Well defined anticlines and synclines al¬ 

ternating. 

(c) Monoclinal slopes with change in dip. 

(d) Terrace structure. 

(e) Broad geanticlinal folds. 

(f ) Overturned folds. 

II. Domes or quaquaversal structures. 

III. Sealed faults. 

IV. Oil and gas sealed in by asphaltic deposits. 

V. Joint cracks. 

VI. Surrounding volcanic vents (or igneous intru¬ 
sion) . 

Almost all the important fields belong to some division 
of Class I, among them being the Appalachian, Mid-Conti¬ 
nent, Illinois, Indiana, Wyoming, Colorado, northern 
Louisiana, northern Texas, and some of the California 
fields in this country, and the Russian, Austrian, Burma, 
and Borneo fields in the eastern hemisphere. Of the dif¬ 
ferent subclasses, the second is probably the most common, 
containing with a few minor exceptions the Appalachian 
field in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and eastern Ken¬ 
tucky, the southern Indiana and Illinois field, the Kansas 
and Oklahoma fields, the Caddo field in northern Louisiana, 
the north Texas fields, and those of Colorado, Wyoming, 
and Montana. The conditions in these fields are shown 
diagrammatically in figure 7. 

Subclasses c and d may be considered together since d 
is only an extreme type of c. These structures are some¬ 
times called arrested anticlines since the forces were ap¬ 
parently the same as those forming anticlines, but not 
strong enough to reverse completely the normal dip of 
rocks with a monoclinal structure, but merely to lessen the 


18 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


dip locally or to flatten the rocks out. The conditions are 
shown diagrammatically in figure 8. Some of the important 
pools of northern Oklahoma represent this type of struc¬ 
ture although most of them belong to subclass b. 



Fig. 8.—Diagram showing the accumulation of oil and gas in a terrace 

or arrested anticline. 

The last two subclasses are probably not represented 
in Oklahoma. The fields in Ohio and Indiana around the 
Cincinnati arch or geanticline belong to subclass e. 

Class II is represented by the pools in the coastal 
plain of Texas and Louisiana. Class III occurs in some of 
the California fields. It is possible, although scarcely prob¬ 
able, that this condition occurs in the Ouachita Mountains 
in the southeastern part of Oklahoma. The conditions are 
represented in the diagram of a fault (fig. 4). Oil con¬ 
tained in the sandstone layer would be sealed in by the 
fault passing through the overlying shale layer, and would 
collect near the fault line if the sandstone dipped away 
from the fault, which would usually be the case on one side 
or the other. Faults of this type exist in the region men¬ 
tioned and the asphalt deposits prove that oil was once 
present in the rocks, but whether it all escaped or whether 
part‘of it is sealed in along some of the faults is proble¬ 
matic. Class IV is possibly represented in Oklahoma by 
some small deposits giving rise to the oil! springs or seeps 
in the Arbuckle Mountain region. It is not at all prob¬ 
able that the deposits are large enough to be of any value. 













































































































NATURE AND ORIGIN 


19 


Class V is not very important, occurring, so far as known, 
only in Canada. Class VI does not occur in Oklahoma. 
Some of the large Mexican fields probably belong to this 
class. 

It seems to the writer that one other condition should 
be included in this list, which, while not strictly a structu¬ 
ral condition, should have the same effect as inclined strata 
on accumulation. This is the local thickening of sands or 
the occurrence of short, thick lenses of sand in shale. The 
conditions are shown diagrammatically in the accompany- 



Fig. 9.—Diagram illustrating the accumulation of oil and gas in a lens 

of sandstone in shale. 

ing sketch (fig. 9). In this case the oil and gas would cer¬ 
tainly collect in the top of the arch made in the shale by 
the lens of sand, the gas at the top and the oil lower 
down. This local thickening of the sands or occurrence 
of such lenses may or may not give any surface indications 
of their presence and may account for some oil and gas 
pools where no surface structure can be made out, as in the 
Cretaceous area along Red River in southern Oklahoma. 

A factor which is of extreme importance in the con¬ 
sideration of accumulation by any type of structure is the 
difference in porosity of the same sandstone in different 
localities. If a sandstone is studied along its outcrop it 
will be found to vary somewhat in character from place to 
place. In one place it may be composed of fairly large 
grains of sand loosely cemented together, while a short 
distance away it will be very fine-grained and well cement¬ 
ed so that there is very little pore space. It is only reason¬ 
able to presume that such variations also exist in the 
sandstones underneath the surface, and this variation is 


















































































































































































































































































20 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


believed to account for the occasional finding of dry holes 
which are in proven territory and which may be entirely 
surrounded by producing wells. It is supposed that the 
dry holes encountered a non-porous or tight place in the 
sandstone, while the producing wells penetrated more 
open, porous places. The variation in production of wells 
of equal depth located near each other is explained in the 
same way. In general the more open and porous the sand, 
the greater the amount of oil contained and the more rap¬ 
idly the oil can be given up from the sand around the bot- 



Fig. 10.—Diagram illustrating the accumulation of oil in syncline in 

the absence of water. 

tom of the well. This also accounts for the fact that 
very often wells of phenomenally large initial production 
are not as long-lived as those with a smaller production, 
since the more rapidly the oil can pass through the sand 
the sooner will the supply be exhausted. The shooting of 
oil wells is based on the same fact, as the effect of the 
shooting is simply to loosen up the sand so that the oil can 
pass through it more readily. 

Still another feature needs to be considered in this 
connection. All the statements previously made concern¬ 
ing the effect of structure on accumulation are based on 
the presence of water with the oil and gas. When no 
water is present the oil and gas, instead of being collected 
in the anticlines or corresponding structures, seek the 
synclines or lower parts of the structure governing the ac- 











NATURE AND ORIGIN 


21 


cumulation, the oil in the bottom of the syncline and the 
gas higher on the slope as shown in the accompanying dia¬ 
gram. This condition is not known to exist in Oklahoma, 
although it probably does. 


III. 


PROSPECTING FOR PETROLEUM AND 

NATURAL GAS 


From what has been said concerning the conditions of 
occurrence of oil and gas, and the generally accepted theo¬ 
ries of their origin and accumulation, certain general rules 
concerning the prospecting for these substances can be de¬ 
duced. The knowledge of conditions in developed fields is 
a great aid in determining the relations of the oil and gas 
pool to the nature of the rocks, both the surface rocks and 
those encountered in drilling, as well as to the structure 
of the rocks and to the surface features. The value of 
geology as an aid to prospecting is considered at some 
length. 

Nature of the rocks .—Many people are strongly of the 
opinion that the rocks immediately on the surface are re¬ 
lated to the occurrence of oil and gas below, and there is 
quite a strong prejudice in favor of starting wells on top 
of limestone. In regard to this matter it may be said that 
the developments in the different fields of the country and 
even of the different pools in Oklahoma prove that this 
idea is without foundation. 

It has already been noted that all the important de¬ 
posits of oil and gas occur in sedimentary rocks, lime¬ 
stones, sandstones, or shales. No deposits are known in 
igneous rocks or in rocks that have been so metamorphosed 
by heat and pressure that their original nature has been 
destroyed. In Oklahoma this fact is of importance in small 
areas since most of the surface rocks are sedimentary. In 
the Arbuckle and Wichita mountains, however, there are 
some areas of several square miles in which the surface 
rocks are granite and closely related rocks. In these areas 
there is absolutely no use of prospecting for oil and gas. 


PROSPECTING 


23 


It is practically certain that holes started on the granite 
would encounter no other kind of rock no matter how deep 
the drilling was carried. There are no areas of intensely 
metamorphosed rocks in the State, but in a small area in 
McCurtain County the rocks are so crumpled and broken 
that there is no probability that they contain oil or gas 
at present, even if they did so before they were disturbed. 

In an area of sedimentary rocks a little consideration 
will make it possible to select the more favorable areas 
from the less favorable. Whether the organic theory of 
the origin of oil and gas be accepted or not, the fact re¬ 
mains that all important deposits of either substance are 
found in rocks which are strongly charged with organic 
matter or which are closely associated with such rocks. 
This is usually shown by the presence of fossils and by the 
prevailing dark colors of the rocks. The dark blues and 
greens and the blacks are due to the presence of iron in the 
reduced form, the reduction being due to the presence of 
organic matter, or in some cases the color is due to the 
organic matter itself. In rocks in which very little or no 
organic matter is present the iron is in the oxidized form— 
iron rust—and gives the rocks a prevailing red color. A 
large area of red rocks which are of considerable thickness 
cannot but be regarded as a most unlikely region for oil 
and gas prospecting. 

This fact eliminates a large portion of Oklahoma as 
prospective territory. With the exception of the compara¬ 
tively small area of the Wichita Mountains all the State 
west of a line drawn north and south so as to pass through 
Oklahoma City or a short distance to the east is under¬ 
laid with red rocks. Along the eastern margin the red 
rocks are thin and deep drilling will penetrate them and 
reach the underlying dark-colored rocks. This is also true 
in the region around the Wichita Mountains, between the 
Wichitas and Red River and between the Wichitas and 
the Arbuckles. Some oil and gas have been found in this 
region and are often made the basis for the statement 
that the Redbeds rocks do contain oil and gas. However, 
a study of the logs of the wells of any of the pools in this 
region will show that the oil and gas occur in rocks below 


24 - 


petroleum AND NATURAL GAS 


the red rocks or so near their base that the source of sup¬ 
ply is undoubtedly in the underlying non-red rocks. In the 
absence of more drill records it is impossible to fix the ex¬ 
act limit of the possible productive area in the Redbeds 
region, but it is safe to say that all the area north of an 
east-west line through Chickasha and Anadarko and west 
of a line drawn through Oklahoma City and Enid is ex¬ 
tremely improbable territory for oil and gas. 

Relations of oil and gas pools to topographic features. 
—The statement is often made that the indications in a 
certain territory or on a certain tract of land are favora¬ 
ble for oil and gas because the land is near or lies parallel 
to a river or mountain range or some other topographic 
feature. The statement that all oil and gas fields lie paral¬ 
lel to some coast or stream is necessarily true, but is of 
absolutely no value in prospecting. For example, the fields 
or pools in northeastern Oklahoma having an east-west 
trend are nearly parallel to Arkansas River and those 
bearing north and south are parallel to the Verdigris. In 
fact, it would be practically impossible to locate a pool so 
that the trend would not be in a measure parallel to some 
stream in the vicinity. At the same time unproductive 
tracts would show exactly the same relation. The only 
case in which the course of a stream would really be re¬ 
lated to the trend of an oil or gas pool would be where the 
course of the stream is controlled by the structure of the 
rocks and where the same structure is related to the accu¬ 
mulation of the oil or gas. In this case the shape or the 
trend of the oil pool would be due to the structure instead 
of to its following the course of the river. It may be said, 
therefore, that the presence or absence of a stream in a 
given area or the relation of a tract of land to its course 
is no indication as to the occurrence of oil and gas unless 
the course of the stream is controlled by the structure and 
in this case the indications may or may not be favorable 
on a given tract. 

The relations of pools to mountain ranges are of the 
same nature as their relations to rivers. The structure 
of the mountain range often provides the necessary condi¬ 
tions for the accumulation of oil and gas and hence the 


PROSPECTING 


25 


long axis of the pool is often parallel to the direction of 
the ranges. The relation of the pool, however, is to the 
structure and not to the mountain range itself. If the 
rocks making up a mountain range are igneous or strong¬ 
ly metamorphic there will be no oil or gas in them any 
more than there will be in rocks of the same kind at a dis¬ 
tance from the mountains, and if the rocks and the struc¬ 
ture are favorable for accumulation in a region there will 
be oil and gas no matter what the relation to a mountain 
range may be. 

In Oklahoma the principal pools are at some distance 
to the west and southwest of the Ozark Mountains. It is 
possible that the structure was produced in the oil region 
by the same set of forces which produced it in the moun¬ 
tains, but the territory cannot be considered as a part of 
the Ozarks. The location of the pools in southern Okla¬ 
homa is almost certainly due to the thinning of the Red- 
beds near the Arbuckle and Wichita mountains and in this 
sense they may be said to have a relation to the mountains. 
The location and the trend of the individual pools, how¬ 
ever, is quite independent of the structure of the moun¬ 
tains, or the trend of the separate ranges or groups. 

In general, hills and valleys cannot be depended upon 
to givq any indication as to the presence of oil and gas. In 
many developed pools, wells started on the hills are just 
as productive as those started in the valleys and vice versa. 
Other pools are on practically level land. There is no more 
ground for saying that a certain location should be a good 
place for prospecting because the surface looks like that 
of a developed pool than for saying that the same region is 
without oil and gas because the surface is very unlike that 
of another developed pool, or that it is very like another 
region which is known to be dry. In some instances the 
distribution of the hills and valleys depends on the struct¬ 
ure and here, of course, the surface configuration may give 
some indication as to the more probable places to prospect. 
In the coal fields of the east-central part of Oklahoma the 
anticlines are often worn down into valleys while the 
synclines stand up as ridges and hills. In this region it is 
wiser to prospect in the valleys than on the hills if no fur- 


26 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


ther investigation is made. Even in this locality, however, 
there are so many exceptions to the general rule and so 
many hills and valleys that are without relation to the 
structure that it is much better to work out the structure 
definitely before locating a test well than to depend upon 
the character of the surface alone. 

“Oil trends .”—An idea that was held generally in the 
early days of the industry and which still has a number of 
adherents is that oil occurs along certain well developed 
trends or lines and that territory anywhere along certain 
well developed trends is favorable for prospecting. It is be¬ 
lieved by many people that the country will eventually be 
developed between the Oklahoma field and the Gulf field in 
Texas and Louisiana. It is apparent that if this idea were 
carried to an extreme almost any region could be consid¬ 
ered as probable territory since by connecting all the oil 
fields of the world by lines it would be hard to find a local¬ 
ity that would not be reasonably near one of these lines. 
There is no more reason for considering the region between 
the Oklahoma and Gulf fields as all being favorable for pros¬ 
pecting than for considering all the territory between the 
Oklahoma and California fields or between the California 
and Pennsylvania fields in the same way. The oil in the 
Gulf and California fields occurs under very different con¬ 
ditions from those of the Oklahoma fields. The rocks in the 
former fields are much younger than those in Oklahoma, 
and if the productive rocks of Oklahoma are present at all 
in the Gulf and California fields they are buried under 
thousands of feet of younger rocks. 

When a single field is considered it is evident that the 
trend of the whole field will be in the same direction as 
that of the outcrop of the rocks containing the oil and gas. 
For instance, in the northeastern Oklahoma field the oil and 
gas is all contained in a thickness of about 1,000 feet of 
rocks and these rocks outcrop from north to south and dip 
to the west. It is evident that oil and gas can be found in 
a belt to the west of the outcrop in which the oil-bearing 
rocks lie at a depth of less than 3,000 feet. The develop¬ 
ment of the field as a whole will therefore be in a north- 
south belt. In the region around the Arbuckle and Wichita 



PROSPECTING 


27 


mountains the favorable conditions occur in a northwest- 
southeast belt and the field as a whole will show a similar 
trend. There is, however, no reason for presuming that oil 
and gas will be found in Cleveland County, for instance, be¬ 
cause it lies on a line between the Cushing and the Loco fields 
or between the Kay County and the Wheeler fields. If 
the geologic conditions in Cleveland County can be shown 
to be similar to those of any one of these fields or even if 
they were different and still favorable for the occurrence 
of oil and gas it may be considered favorable territory for 
prospecting, but the fact that it lies between productive 
fields is positively no evidence either for or against it. 

The individual pools may extend in any direction to that 
of the field as a whole, in spite of the common idea that 
all lie in one direction. For example, the northeastern Ok¬ 
lahoma field has a general north-south trend as has been 
said, but the individual pools may trend in any direction. 
The Coody’s Bluff-Alluwe and the Hogshooter pools extend 
north and south, the Delaware-Childers pool east and west, 
the Copan and the Dewey-Bartlesville pools northeast and 
southwest, the Henryetta-Schulter and Morris pools north¬ 
west and southeast, and the main portion of the Glenn pool 
is almost circular. The direction of the long axis of a pool 
depends usually on the structure and in any region the ma¬ 
jority of the folds are likely to have their long axes in the 
same direction, so that it is probable that the majority of 
the pools will trend the same way. There are, however, al¬ 
most always exceptions to this rule, and the development 
of a pool cannot be certainly predicted on the basis of that 
of other pools in the vicinity unless it is known that the 
structure is the same. 

Oil seeps .—Among the features that are often cited 
as indications of oil and gas are the so-called oil seeps which 
occur in practically all parts of the State. True oil seeps 
are undoubtedly proof of the presence of oil or asphalt, but 
such seeps are rare in the State and are known to occur 
only in the Arbuckle Mountains, in the Redbeds around 
these mountains and the Wichitas, and in the Red River 
limestone region. The oil field at Wheeler is located near 
one of the largest of these oil seeps. The appearances which 
are reported as oil seeps in other parts of the State haw 



28 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


all proved to be due to other substances than petroleum. 
In the majority of cases the “seeps” have proved to be 
merely thin scums of iron oxide on the water. This gives 
the appearance of a thin, layer of kerosene, but is easily 
distinguished from it. If an attempt is made to skim off 
the “oil” the scum breaks and separates into angular 
pieces. If the water is stirred up the crust or scum will 
be broken up and will settle to the bottom. The behavior 
of a true oil scum is of course quite different. Further 
tests which are quite easily made and which establish defin¬ 
itely the identity of the scum are those with acid, preferably 
hydrochloric, and carbonbisulphide, both of which can be 
easily obtained at any drug store. If some of the water 
with as much of the scum as possible be collected and placed 
in a bottle or glass and a little hydrochloric acid added a 
scum due to iron will dissolve and give a brown colored 
solution. This may be tested still more definitely for iron 
by adding a little of a solution of potassium sulpho-cyan- 
ate to the brown liquid. A brilliant deep red color is pro¬ 
duced if iron is present. This red color is a very delicate 
test for iron and will often show its presence when the 
brown color of the hydrochloric acid solution is very faint. 
It should be said that the potassium sulpho-cyanate is very 
poisonous and care should be taken in using it. A few 
drops of a strong solution is all that is necessary to make 
the test. The solution to be tested should not be very 
strong with the acid. A film of pure oil is not affected by 
the acid and will give no test with the potassium sulpho- 
cyanate unless the water with it is strongly charged with 
iron. On the other hand, if carbonbisulphide is used in¬ 
stead of the acid an iron film or scum is not affected in 
any way, but any oil present is dissolved in the bisulphide 
and gives it a dark brown color. The bisulphide and the 
oil settle to the bottom of the bottle with the colorless water 
on top. These tests can be made at an expense of a few 
cents and a few minutes of time and should always be 
made before any great expense is incurred in the investiga¬ 
tion of a supposed oil seep. In nine cases out of ten any 
scum or film on water (outside of the oil region where the 
streams are covered with waste oil from the wells) will be 
of iron and not of petroleum or other oil. 


PROSPECTING 29 

• 

Iron also causes another appearance which is often 
mistaken for an indication of oil. Some of the iron com¬ 
pounds are black and when wet have a greasy appearance. 
Irony sands are found in several localities in the State, es¬ 
pecially in the Redbeds region, that appear oily when they 
are wet. The test by the hydrochloric acid is sufficient to 
show that this appearance is due to iron since a weak so¬ 
lution of the acid will dissolve the black coloration and 
leave ordinary sand while the solution becomes brown. 
The further test with the potassium sulpho-cyanate can be 
made if desired, but is really not necessary. 

In considering a seep it should be borne in mind that 
crude oil is usually a thick liquid and dark in color so that 
the thin oily films due to iron do not at all resemble a cov¬ 
ering of crude oil, although they do somewhat resemble 
one of kerosene or coal oil. The latter, however, is a re¬ 
fined product of the crude oil and is never found as such 
in nature. A few seeps of a dark substance having the 
appearance of crude oil have been reported from localities 
in western Oklahoma and some samples have been exam¬ 
ined. In general these “seeps” are found in the bottoms 
of canyons and can usually be attributed to the decay of 
vegetable matter which is washed down into the canyons 
at times of heavy rains. The amount of the oily substance 
is very small and the seeps occur only in times of wet 
weather. 

Asphalt deposits .—Deposits of asphalt are often con¬ 
sidered as indications of oil and gas and in some circum¬ 
stances they are undoubtedly so. From what has been said 
regarding the nature of petroleum it is evident that wher¬ 
ever a quantity of oil with an asphaltic base is exposed to 
the air, the lighter, volatile substances will evaporate and 
a residue resembling the residuum of the refining process 
will be left. The deposits of asphalt in Oklahoma are gen¬ 
erally regarded as being residual bodies of this nature. It 
is thought that erosion has carried away the overlying 
rocks so that the oil could get to the surface or that the 
structure, the folding and faulting, has broken the rocks 
so that deep seated bodies of oil could work out to the 
surface. The presence of asphalt, then, may be regarded 
as proof that the rocks containing them, or some of the 


30 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


% 


lower rocks, at one time contained considerable quantities 
of oil. The question then arises as to whether all of the 
oil has escaped or whether some of it still remains in the 
rocks where it can be reached by the drill. It is reported 
that in Mexico one of the principal guides in prospecting 
is the presence of seeps of a very heavy asphaltic oil called 
mineral pitch or brea. As has been said the field at Wheel¬ 
er, Okla., is near a large asphalt seep. It seems that in 
some cases therefore all of the oil has not escaped, but that 
important deposits still remain beneath the surface. How¬ 
ever there is no record, to my knowledge, of important 
finds of oil or gas near asphalt deposits which are composed 
of solid asphalt. The fact that the asphalt is solid seems 
to indicate that it has been exposed long enough for all 
lighter oils to escape and that the process of asphalt for¬ 
mation is entirely complete. This seems to preclude the 
presence of large bodies of oil in the rocks near at hand. 
The most of the deposits of asphalt in the Arbuckle Moun¬ 
tains and in the Ouachitas are of this type. Very little 
can be said as to the prospects in the underlying rocks or 
in the asphalt-bearing rocks at some distance from the 
asphalt occurrences since the prospects would depend on 
so many features that could be determined only by a de¬ 
tailed investigation of the locality. 

The use of instruments in prospecting for oil and 

gas .—So far as is known there is no instrument that is of 
the least service in locating deposits of oil and gas except 
the ordinary surveying instruments which are used in de¬ 
termining the structure of the rocks. There is no sub¬ 
stance known that is either repelled or attracted by oil or 
gas. In spite of these facts there are many communities 
in the State that have paid “oil witches” considerable 
sums of money to have them locate drilling sites by the 
means of some sort of instrument. In a certain case to the 
writer’s knowledge one of these witches received $25 
each for locating three wells. One of the wells was located 
on an outcrop of the granite of the Arbuckle Mountains 
and the other two were in places where the granite was 
probably not over 100 feet beneath the surface. In an¬ 
other community in the western part of the State a negro 
with a considerable amount of paraphernalia was success- 


PROSPECTING 


31 


ful in obtaining small sums of money from several par¬ 
ties for locating wells. These wells were located on sand 
hills where the Redbeds would be encountered at a depth 
of probably less than 100 feet and where these beds are at 
least 1,500 feet thick. This operator is reported to have 
told some of the men who accompanied him that at one 
place they were walking over the largest lake (or pool) of 
pure gasoline that the world has ever known. Since the 
world has never known any gasoline whatever to be found 
in a pure state in the rocks the lake need not have been 
very large to have fulfilled the description. 

A little consideration will make it plain that if a man 
had an instrument or substance that would locate defin¬ 
itely deposits of oil and gas it would not be necessary for 
him to do locating at the rates charged by such men. The 
possession of such an instrument would enable one man to 
locate sufficient wells to flood the market and to destroy 
the petroleum industry in a year or two. If such a sub¬ 
stance or instrument existed it would be to the advantage 
of large oil companies to pay the owner enormous sums of 
money to refrain from locating more wells. It is certainly 
safe to say that men claiming such power are plain fakers. 

Geology as an aid in prospecting for oil and gas .—From 
the discussion of the theories of origin and accumulation 
of oil and gas and the notes already given on the nature 
of rocks it is evident that one great aid which geology can 
give the oil prospector is in the selection of general areas 
in which the geologic conditions are such that prospecting 
has some chance of being rewarded. Thus in Oklahoma a 
knowledge of the general geology of the State enables one 
to eliminate a large portion of the State from the prob¬ 
able producing territory. The geologic conditions in the 
Ozark, Ouachita, Arbuckle, and Wichita mountains, and 
over a large part of the Redbeds area are such that the 
finding of oil and gas is very improbable, and the knowl¬ 
edge of this fact enables the operator and prospector to 
concentrate their efforts on more favorable territory. 

When the general territory in which the conditions 
are favorable for accumulations of oil and gas has been 
determined the next proposition is to decide just which 


32 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


localities in this general region are the most favorable, 
and here, too, it is often possible for the geologist to give 
some aid. It has already been said that in Oklahoma the 
accumulations so far as they have been carefully investi¬ 
gated are dependent on the structure and that most if 
not all of the pools are on anticlines, or some closely re¬ 
lated type of structure involving a change of dip of the 


H 

H 

H 


Fig. 


h 

\~ 

h 




11.—A. Map record of dip and strike showing anticlinal structure. 
B. The structure of the area shown in A in cross section. 
(Chamberlin and Salisbury.) 


rocks. The problem of the geologist then is to determine 
carefully the structure of the rocks which contain the oil 
and gas. It is easily seen that where there are no uncon¬ 
formities in the rock column the layers of rock un¬ 
derground will lie parallel to those at the surface, so that 
the determination of the structure of the .surface rocks 
will also determine that of the oil-bearing rocks beneath. 
This condition is the one that exists in the oil and gas 
fields in Oklahoma and is the only one that will be consid¬ 
ered fully. The methods of determining the structure of 
the underlying beds when they are not parallel to those 
on the surface are noticed briefly. 

In some cases where a fold is small the structure can 
easily be determined by observation without any aid from 
instruments. The first essential is to determine the suc¬ 
cession of rocks, that is, to observe which of the strata 
exposed in the region under observation is the lowest and 
the nature and appearance of the successively higher 
strata. Then the dips should be observed at different 
places along the outcrop of some ledge which is continuous 
throughout the area. These dips and the direction of the 
strike should be noted on a map and the fold will be shown. 






PROSPECTING 


33 


The accompanying diagram (fig. 11) shows how the dips 
and strike may be recorded on a map very easily. The 
short lines with both ends free indicate the direction of 
the dip. The structure which is indicated by this record 
of dips and strikes is shown in the second part of the fig¬ 
ure. 


If the rocks dip toward each other so that the lines 
with the one free end point toward each other, the struc¬ 
ture is synclinal or trough-like and can be represented by 
B of figure 11 turned upside down. 

It should be understood that the determination of the 
structure is very often not as simple as indicated in the 
above description. In many localities it is hard to find a 
stratum which is continuous over a considerable area and 
this stratum may not be well exposed in a large number 
of places. The dip may also be so slight as not to be ap¬ 
parent to the eye. In this case instruments for the deter¬ 
mination of the elevation of the ledge at different localities 
must be used. For rough work the aneroid barometer can be 
used for this purpose. This is an instrument which resembles 
a large watch in appearance. The face has a scale gradua¬ 
ted in feet of elevation and a needle pointer as an indica¬ 
tor. The air is partially exhausted from the central 
chamber of the barometer and a flexible diaphragm forms 
the back of this chamber. The air pressure varies at dif¬ 
ferent heights above sea level and this variation is shown 
by the pointer which is attached to the flexible diaphragm 
by means of a system of levers. The aneroid permits of 
very rapid work, but, as the air pressure varies with the 
condition of the atmosphere as well as the height above 
sea level, it is an instrument that can be used only where 
it can be checked with the elevations determined by some 
more accurate method or where the structure is sufficient¬ 
ly pronounced that the results will not be greatly affected 
by the minor variations of the barometer. 

For accurate work levels on some ledge of rock must 
be run with some surveying instrument, such as an alid¬ 
ade or a transit. In regions where the structure is very 
gentle this is the only method which can be depended upon 
to give accurate results. Skilled manipulation.is required 


34 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


for the instruments and this method of determining the 
structure should not be attempted by anyone not acquaint¬ 
ed with the use of the surveying instruments. 

A more accurate method of 1 showing the structure, 
than the simple method shown in figure 11, is by drawing 
contours on some formation, usually a consistent ledge 
of sandstone or limestone. The elevations of a large 
number of points on the surface are determined and 
when the thicknesses of all the formations of the area 
are known the exact elevation of the chosen bed at all of 
these points can be easily calculated. An example of a 
map of this kind is shown in Plate IV, which is a structu¬ 
ral map of the Ponca City anticline with the contours 
drawn on the top of the Herington limestone. The con¬ 
tours represent differences of 20 feet in elevation. It 
may be seen that the contours show not only the location 
of the fold, but also its form. That is, that the anticline 
is much steeper on the east side where the contour lines 
are crowded closely together than on the west side where 
they are spaced more widely. 

Where there are important unconformities in the 
rocks between the surface and the oil-bearing rocks, the 
structure of the latter is not necessarily the same as that 
of the former. In this case the structure in localities 
where there has been some drilling may be ascertained by 
determining the elevations of the mouths of several wells 
and the depth in these wells at which the sand whose 
structure is in question is found. By platting these logs 
to the same scale the structure of the oil-bearing sand can 
usually be made out. In localities where no drilling has 
been done, the problem can be attacked in other ways, but 
the methods involved are too technical to be considered in 
this work, especially as this condition is not known to oc¬ 
cur in the probable oil territory of Oklahoma. 

Locating of wells .—After the more favorable locali¬ 
ties of an area have been selected by means of a determi¬ 
nation of the structure, the next question which arises is 
that of the exact location of the well. This will depend 
somewhat on the nature of the structure found. If the 
structure is an anticline whose sides have an equal or 
nearly equal dip the first well should normally be located 


PROSPECTING 


35 


on or near the crest or line where the dip changes. This 
is especially true in an undeveloped territory as it would 
be much better to strike a good flow of gas than to take 
chances of going too far down the slope of the anticline 
and strike the oil sand below the oil belt. In a broad, low 
anticline the well may be located at a somewhat greater 
distance from the crest than on a narrow, sharp one. 
Where the anticline is unsymmetric, that is where one 



unsymmetric anticline. 


side dips much more steeply than the other, the well 
should be located down the slope of the gentler side. The 
reason for this is apparent from the accompanying dia¬ 
gram (fig. 12). It is readily seen that, in an anticline of 
this sort, the crest moves down the dip of the gentler side 
with increasing depth. Consequently a well, A, started 
on the crest at the surface would be a considerable dis¬ 
tance down the slope of the steeper side by the time it 
had reached the depth of the oil-bearing sand, and that to 
encounter the oil-bearing sand at the crest of the fold in 
it, the well would have to be started down the slope on the 
gentler side of the anticline, say at B. It is also apparent 
that the width of the oil belt is much greater on this side 
of the anticline than on the other. The distance from the 
crest at which the well should be started depends on the 
steepness of the slope of the sides and the depth to the 
supposedly oil-bearing sand. These factors, of course, 
must be worked out for each fold individually. 








































































36 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


If the structure is a terrace or arrested anticline in¬ 
stead of a true anticline the location of the well should be 
somewhere near the top of the steep slope, i. e., near the 
line of change of dip. The exact location should be deter¬ 
mined by one acquainted with the structure and the sec¬ 
tion to be encountered in drilling, since there are several 
factors which affect the location which can be determined 
only by an examination of the vicinity and a knowledge of 
the general geology. 

Depth to which prospect or test wells should be drill¬ 
ed .—After a well has been located, a consideration of the 
depth to which it should be drilled before it should be 
abandoned as dry is an important consideration. In some 
cases this cannot be determined, but usually the sands 
which are possibly oil or gas-bearing and which are like¬ 
ly to be encountered in the drilling, as well as their ap¬ 
proximate depth below the surface, can be approximately 
determined. Drilling should not stop until the horizon of 
the lowermost sand which is liable to be encountered is 
reached. For example, in the great oil region of Okla¬ 
homa, the northeastern part of the State, the oil and gas- 
bearing rocks outcrop to the e^st of the development and 
dip under the surface to the west. From a knowledge of 
the rate of dip and the distance of a locality to the west of 
the outcrop of the sands, or from a place where their 
depth is known, the depths of the possibly producing 
sands of the locality in question can be prophesied with a 
fair degree of certainty. The dip through the oil and gas 
region mentioned has been found to be quite uniformly 30 
feet to the mile. Supposing then that a well is started 20 
miles west of a proven pool, the sands in the new well will 
be encountered at depths approximately 600 feet greater 
in the new well than in the pool to the east, if the mouths 
of the wells are at about the same level. A sand which 
lies at 500 feet in the old pool should be expected at about 
1,100 feet and a sand found at 1,200 feet in the old pool 
should be found at about 1,800 feet in the new location. 
Any difference in the elevations of the wells should be 
added to the difference in the depths of the sands in the 
two localities as determined by the dip, if the new well is 
higher than the old, and subtracted if it is lower. There 


PROSPECTING 


37 


is always a possibility that the sands of* the developed 
pool do not extend under the new location and also that 
sand's will be found in the new location which were not 
present in the old. The principal producing* sands of the 
northeastern Oklahoma fields, for instance, the Bartles¬ 
ville and Cleveland sands, are known to be continuous over 
large areas and can be depended upon with some degree 
of certainty. Drilling in any locality should be carried to 
a sufficient depth to reach the lowest productive sand', un¬ 
less this depth is so great as to be impracticable. Even if 
production is found in the higher sands the deeper sands 
should be tried out in some wells at least. 

The advantage of knowing the position of the pro¬ 
ductive sands and the depth at which they are to be ex¬ 
pected is shown by two examples that recently came to the 
writer’s knowledge. In one case a well was drilled a con¬ 
siderable distance farther east than any work previously 
done by those connected with the undertaking. The hole 
was carried to a depth of about 2,000 feet in search of the 
Bartlesville sand, when, in fact, this sand was passed 
through at a depth of about 700 or 800 feet and about one- 
half of the hole was in the Mississippi lime and the rocks 
beneath it. In another case a well was started even lower 
than the one just mentioned, so that it was not over 100 
feet to the Mississippi lime. The hole was drilled to a 
considerable depth in the hope of striking the sandstones 
which are productive farther to the northwest. What is 
probably the lowest of these productive sands, outcrops as 
a range of hills a few miles to the west of the location of 
the well. In either of these cases even a general knowl¬ 
edge of the geology of the region would have saved the 
parties drilling the wells considerable sums of money. 

Value of wild-catting .—In some places it is practi¬ 
cally impossible to get much aid from geology in deter¬ 
mining whether or not a certain locality, in a region which 
is in general an oil and gas region, is particularly favor¬ 
able for development. Some of these cases are where the 
surface rocks are so soft that they weather down without 
giving good exposures; in places where the accumulation 
is in lenses of sand which are included in shale without 


38 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


giving any surface indications (fig. 9) ; and in places 
where the accumulation is largely controlled by variations 
in the coarseness of the sand. The possibility that these 
conditions may occur gives considerable justification for 
what may be termed rank wild-catting, although the 
chances for finding production are much less than in lo¬ 
calities where the structure can be made out and the more 
probable places selected. Even in such places a knowl¬ 
edge of the general geology of the region should be of 
great assistance to the prospector in deciding whether or 
not he wishes to take the chance of drilling in the unproved 
territory. 































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































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s 


IV. 

THE GEOLOGY OF OKLAHOMA 

GENERAL STATEMENT. 

The surface rocks of practically all Oklahoma are 
sedimentary and, except in relatively small areas, are not 
greatly disturbed. The northeastern corner of the State 
is part of the Ozark Mountain region and the rocks dip to 
the southwest, west*, and northwest away from the center 
of the uplift. Most of the rocks in this area are of Mis- 
sissippian age. The general westward dip continues to 
the west into the area of the Pennsylvania rocks, and into 
the Redbeds area for some distance. In the western part 
of the Redbeds the rocks are very nearly level or dip 
slightly to the east. In the southern part of the State are 
three mountain groups, the Ouachita, Arbuckle, and 
Tchita mountains. These mountain uplifts are com¬ 
bed of older rocks than the Pennsylvanian and Permian, 
hey are much folded and often faulted. These older 
cks extend out under the Pennsylvanian and Permian to 
e north and west. To the south of the Ouachita and Ar- 
ickle mountains is an area of much younger rocks which 
p slightly to the southeast and lap over the upturned 
Iges of the older rocks of the mountains. 

From the standpoint of its geology, then, the State 
i.; divided naturally into certain districts or provinces and 
it seems best to discuss them as nearly independently of 
each other as possible. The districts and their boundaries 
a'e as follows: 

(1). The Ozark Mountain region, or Mississippian 
area, in northeastern Oklahoma, including approximately 
the territory east of Grand River and north of the Arkan¬ 


sas. 


40 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


(2) . The Sandstone Hills region, or Pennsylvanian 
area, including east-central and north-central Oklahoma. 

(3) . The Ouachita Mountains in the southeastern 
part of the State, including most of the area south of the 
Ardmore branch of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific 
Railway and east of the main line of the Missouri, Kansas 
& Texas Railway. 

(4) . The Arbuckle Mountains in the south-central 
part of the State. 

(5) . The Red River limestone region or the Creta¬ 
ceous area including the territory between the Arbuckle 
and Ouachita mountains on the north and Red River on the 
south. 

(6) . The Wichita Mountains in southwestern Okla¬ 
homa. 



Fig. 13.—Map of Oklahoma showing the Ozark Mountain region. 


(7). The Redbeds, including most of western Okla¬ 
homa. 

These areas are described in the order named. They 
are all indicated on the general geologic map (PI. I) as 
well as by small figures in the text. 

OZARK MOUNTAIN REGION. 

As has been said, the northeastern part of the State 
is the southwestward extension of the Ozark Mountain up¬ 
lift and the rocks are in general the same in character 
and relations as those exposed in the adjacent parts of 
Missouri and Arkansas. The portion of the State inclu¬ 
ded in this area is shown by figure 13. 




































































GEOLOGY OF OKLAHOMA 


41 


Stratigraphy .—The oldest formation of rock ex¬ 
posed in the Oklahoma region is a white sandstone (the 
Burgen) of which a thickness of about 100 feet is exposed, 
with the base not shown. Above this is a series of shales, 
sandstones, and limestones, 60 to 100 feet thick, making 
up the Tyner formation. Then comes a black slaty shale 
varying from 5 or 10 to 40 feet in thickness. These three 
formations are all older than the Mississippian and outcrop 
only in the deeper valleys such as those of Illinois and 
Barren Fork rivers and their principal tributaries and 
some of the larger branches of Grand River. Some of the 
larger areas are shown on the general geologic map (PI. 
I), but the smaller ones cannot be shown on a map of this 
scale. 

Above the Chattanooga black shales lies the Boone 
formation, named from Boone County in Arkansas. This 
formation consists of from 100 to about 400 feet of lime¬ 
stone and cherts or flints. The formation is usually called 
the Boone chert on account of the chert contained. It cov¬ 
ers all the region except the narrow outcrops of the older 
rocks in the deeper valleys, which have been mentioned 
and a narrow belt around the margin of the region which 
is covered by the younger rocks to be described shortly. 
The Boone chert is a very resistant formation and weath¬ 
ers into rugged hills usually covered to a depth of several 
feet with angular chert fragments. This fact has given 
the region its well known popular names of the Flint Hills 
and Cherokee Hills. 

Above the Boone chert is a formation of dark colored 
shale with some limestone, the Fayetteville formation, 
and above this the Pitkin limestone. Both formations 
were named from towns in Arkansas where they were 
first studied. .In the region of Muskogee each of these for¬ 
mations is about 100 feet thick, but they thin to the north 
and east. In the vicinity of Pryor Creek both together 
are not over 50 feet thick. The Pitkin especially is varia¬ 
ble in thickness and thickens and thins irregularly. These 
two formations or their equivalent* outcrop in a belt 


*It is probable that the names Pitkin and Fayetteville cannot be used 
on the west side of the region in Mayes, Craig- and Ottawa counties on ac¬ 
count of minor changes in the character and thickness of the rocks but the 
the variations are not sufficient to be of importance in this connection. 




42 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


4 

from the Arkansas line westward to Muskogee and thence 
northward along Grand River to the Kansas line. The 
belt along the south side of the region is much broken by 
faulting. 

The section of the rocks in this region is shown in 
figure 14. 


Pitkin 

Limestone 

20-I00E+. 





a 


i 


TT3 


-riSte 


Fayetteville 

Formation 

20-100 Ft. 


L .1 I X 


Boone 

Formation 

100-400 Ft. 



r'V'T-TTf 


o 


o 


CO 


O 


09 


o 

oTo 

±31 




o 


O 




CD 

a 


Cnzn 


QI3 


o 

1=3 


Chattanooga 
Shale 

5-40 Ft. 

Tyner: 

Formation 

60-100 Ft. 

Burgen 

Sandstone 


■Sniil 


T 1 



. • • , . • 


• • «* * % 

• * . . • 

♦ * % 


Fig. 14.—Columnar section of the rocks in the Ozark Mountain region 

in Oklahoma. 






















































































































































GEOLOGY OF OKLAHOMA 


43 


Structure .—In general the rocks of this region dip 
to the west and southwest at low angles. This general 
dip is very often broken by folds and faults, so that in 
very little of the area do the rocks lie level. Much of the 
area has not been worked in sufficient detail to give the 
locations of the folds and faults, but the extreme south¬ 
ern and northern portions have been reported on by the 
United States Geological Survey and the outlines of the 
folds and faults are pretty definitely known. The detailed 
description of the structure so far as known is reserved 
for the description of the counties in which the folds or 
faults occur. The discussion of the prospects for oil and 
gas is given in a succeeding section. 

THE PENNSYLVANIAN AREA OR SANDSTONE HILLS REGION. 

Introduction. 


This area as already outlined and as shown on the 
map (fig. 15), occupies a broad L-shaped area on the 



Fig. 15.—Map of Oklahoma showing the Pennsylvanian or sandstone 

hills region. 


south and west sides of the Ozark Mountain region. The 
western limit is the Redbeds area, and the southern the 
Arbuckle and Ouachita mountains. Northward the area 
extends on into Kansas and eastward into Arkansas. The 
area contains all or parts of the following counties: Ot- 





































































44 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


tawa, Craig, Nowata, Washington, Osage, Pawnee, 
Payne, Lincoln, Creek, Tulsa, Rogers, Mayes, Wagoner.; 
Muskogee, Cherokee, Sequoyah, Adair, LeFlore, Latimer, 
Haskell, Pittsburg, McIntosh, Hughes, Okmulgee, Okfus¬ 
kee, Pontotoc, Seminole, Murray, Pottawatomie, and Lin¬ 
coln. 

The rocks of this area are shales, sandstones, and 
limestones of Pennsylvanian age. In the northern part of 
the area, north of Arkansas River, there are several lime¬ 
stones, but these thin out and disappear to the south, and 
only two or three of them cross the river. To the south 
of the Arkansas practically all the rocks are sandstones 
and shales. These are much thicker than the rocks to the 
north of the river and present an entirely different sec¬ 
tion. It is necessary, then, to discuss the two portions of 
the area separately. 

The Sandstone Hills region north of Arkansas River. 

General statement. —The surface of this area slopes 
gently to the southeast. The alternation of hard and soft 
strata dipping gently to the west and southwest gives rise 
to a stairstep topography. The outcrops of the shales 
make broad flats or valleys, while the outcrops of the sand¬ 
stones and limestones make pronounced eastward-facing 
ridges or escarpments. Going west each ridge or escarp¬ 
ment is slightly higher than the one to the east. The great¬ 
er part of the drainage is into Arkansas River through 
the Verdigris and its branches. Since this area contains 
some of the most important oil and gas fields the nature 
and stratigraphy of the rocks are given rather fully. 

Stratigraphy. —The formations exposed in this area 
with their descriptions are as follows, beginning with the 
lowest: 

(1). The Cherokee formation consists of a group of 
shales, sandstones, limestone lenses, and coal beds. At the 
Kansas line the formation is about 500 feet thick, but it 
thickens rapidly to the southward and in the vicinity of 
Muskogee the rocks of the same horizon are included in 
two formations, the Winslow and Boggy which are to- 



Elgin 

Sandstone 

50-140 Ft. 


Oread \ 
Limestone^ 
0-17 Ft. 7 j 



Buxton 

Formation 

450-600 Ft. 


• a • • . * • ■ • * • 


'~r.T f.. 


*:;*• V. V. V ; . **•] 7 \ 


• • . • I J•...*• • 

• % . • • * . i • 

v •: . * y.'.y 

.V:; 


Wilson 

Formation 

280-400 Ft. 
("Avant Ls.) 


Dewey Ls.^ 

23 Ft. 

Shale & 
Sandstone 

75 Ft. 


mnon 


~—. . « • 7 , ‘ - 



i v,.* ^ / .'.'T 

■ - •• • V * - - 11 * • • ’ 


nxTi-L-i- 




riT i :^i 


Hog shooter ls 

lO Ft. / 




Coffeyville 

Formation 

CONT'D. 


- s .v 1 : ^ 7 7>~.; >~ -r 


r i r n~.i "nx 


•F?‘ •• .' ' . *•:/ u V; 

j '• •* ‘ % ’ ' ‘ * • * ‘' I 






Coffeyville 

Formation 

370 Ft. 


Lenapah ls‘ 

20 Ft./ /t 


V 


Nowata 
Shale 

IOO Ft. 

Altamontn 

LIMESTONE 

35 ? " 
Bandera 

Shale 

120 Ft. AT KANSAS 
UNE, THINS 
SOUTHWARD 

Pawnee 
Limestone 

43 Ft. 

j 

Labette 
Shale 

120 Ft. 

I 

Ft. Scott ^ 
Formation 

38 Ft. 


/ 


if Cherokee [=: 
' Formation 

450-500 Ft. 


m 


rr.i , r 


.■ . ;..v ;* ' . J .v ' '.v.vx-;. 




i i rvi-^-r 



l i l 1ZXU 


• • • *• •'.#*' 



. AT KANSAS LINE 
THICKENS SOl/THW. 


Fig. 16.—Columnar section of the Pennsylvanian rocks in northeastern 

Oklahoma. 































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































46 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


gether about 1,500 feet thick. A columnar section of the 
rocks exposed in the northern part of the area as far west “as 
the longitude of Cleveland and Pawhuska is shown in 
figure 16. 

The outcrop is a belt of rather level land about 12 or 
15 miles wide until it approaches the Arkansas, where it 
widens rapidly and extends eastward along the south side 
of the Ozark region. This formation is very important 
in the discussion of the oil and gas since it contains sev¬ 
eral of the important oil producing sands in the main 
field. The Bixler, Markham, Barnett, Bartlesville, and 
Burgess sands, named in descending order, lie in the for¬ 
mation. Of these the Bartlesville is of most importance. 
The heavy sandstone outcropping east of Welch, at Blue¬ 
jacket, and northwest of Vinita is probably the Bartles¬ 
ville. It has been recognized far to the westward beneath 
Osage County and to the southwestward in the oil fields 
of Tulsa, Creek, Pawnee, and other counties. 

(2) . The Fort Scott formation consists of a lower 
limestone 10 feet thick separated by about 8 feet of shale 
from an upper limestone 20 feet thick. The whole thick¬ 
ness is thus 38 feet. The formation is known to the 
drillers as the “Oswego lime.” In Oklahoma its outcrop 
forms a pronounced escarpment from the Kansas line, 
northwest of Welch in Craig County, southwest past 
Centralia, Chelsea, Claremore, and Catoosa to Arkansas 
River. 

(3) . Above the Fort Scott formation is a shale 120 
feet thick known as the Labette shale. From Nowata 
northeastward a heavy sandstone occurs toward the top 
of the formation. It is not improbable that this is the out¬ 
crop of the so-called Holland sand which is productive of 
oil in the vicinity of Ochelata. 

(4) . The Pawnee limestone is about 40 feet thick. 
It outcrops along the west side of Verdigris River south 
from Nowata. At Talala the shale above the Pawnee 
pinches out and the Pawnee and the higher Altamont 
limestone unite to form the Oolagah which continues to 
the southward. The Pawnee and Altamont in the north¬ 
ern part of this area and the Oolagah in the southern part 
are known to the drillers as the “Big lime.” 


GEOLOGY OF OKLAHOMA 


47 


(5) . The Bandera shale lies between the Pawnee 
and the Altamont limestones. At the Kansas line it is 
120 feet thick, but it thins rapidly to the south until it is 
only 40 feet thick at Nowata and disappears about Talala. 

(6) . The Altamont limestone is uniformly about 30 
feet thick. It outcrops to the east of Nowata and south¬ 
ward along the Verdigris. South of Talala it unites with 
the Pawnee to form the Oolagah. 

(7) . The Nowata shale is about 100 feet thick at 
Nowata and thickens gradually to the south. A few thin 
sandstones are present in the formation, some of which 
are probably oil-bearing to the westward. 

(8) . The Lenapah limestone is about 20 feet thick 
at Lenapah and on the bluff in Nowata, but is not known 
to extend southward from that place. Its extension to 
the west under the younger formations is conjectural. 

(9) . The Coffeyville formation is composed princi¬ 
pally of shales, but sandstones become prominent toward 
the south. The formation thickens from the Kansas line 
to the south, the average thickness being about 370 feet. 

(10) . The Hogshooter limestone is about 10 feet 
thick. It outcrops along Hogshooter Creek about 9 miles 
east of Bartlesville. It is not usually recognizable in logs 
of wells to the west, possibly because it is thin-bedded and 
is not noticed by the drillers and possibly because it does 
not extend far to the west. 

(11) . About 75 feet of unnamed shales and sand¬ 
stones lie immediately above the Hogshooter limestone. 
The sandstones are thin and lenticular. 

(12) . The Dewey limestone is about 23 feet thick. 
It is well exposed in Bartlesville, near Dewey, and to the 
eastward and is prominent on the bluffs west of Ochelata 
and Ramona. 

(13) . The Wilson formation consists principally of 
shales with thin sandstone and limestone lenses. The prin¬ 
cipal sandstone lens is about 30 feet thick and lies about 
100 feet below the top of the formation. It is well ex¬ 
posed at the village of Torpedo in the eastern part of 
Osage County. The principal limestone is exposed near 
Avant, and is known as the Avant limestone member. 

(14) . The Buxton formation of southern Kansas 


48 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


thickens southward into Oklahoma where in Osage County 
it embraces over 550 feet of sediments. A generalized 


section follows: 

Feet 

Shale, sandy shale, and sandstorne.140-155 

Sandstone, exposed near Nelagony. 50 

Limestone, lentil . 20 

Shale, sandy shale, thin sandstones.100 

Sandstone, exposed near Bigheart. 140 

Shale, and sandstone. 180 


Average total .680 


The 50-foot sandstone of the above section is promi¬ 
nently exposed in the vicinity of Nelagony and is known 
to extend thence in both directions along the strike for a 
considerable distance. The limestone of the section is a 
lens and has but little linear extent. 

The sandstone at the base of this section is really 
composed of several distinctive sandstones separated by 
shale beds. All the beds, however, are closely associated, 
especially at Bigheart, where they are well developed, 
several being* thick and massive. They are known to ex¬ 
tend from the eastern border of Osage County near Bart¬ 
lesville southwest across this county and probably into 
Creek County. 

(15) . The Oread limestone overlies the Buxton for¬ 
mation in Kansas and extends 10 or 12 miles into Okla¬ 
homa where it pinches out. It is 17 feet thick at the Kan¬ 
sas line. 

(16) . The Elgin sandstone overlies the Oread or 
the Buxton where the Oread is absent. This sandstone 
extends southward across Osage County to Arkansas 
River were it caps the hills in the vicinity of Cleveland. 
Just south of the Kansas line near Elgin, Kans., the Elgin 
sandstone is 140 feet thick, and is made up of an upper 
and lower member, separated by shaly sandstone. To 
the southward the Elgin becomes thinner and consists 
usually of but a single member, which is in most places 
massive, containing practically no shale. From the cen¬ 
tral part of Osage County south to Arkansas River the 
Elgin is between 50 and 75 feet thick. 

(17) . The beds outcropping in western Osage 
County have not been studied nor mapped in detail and 
have not been divided into separate formations. Of these 










GEOLOGY OF OKLAHOMA 


49 


beds little is known except that a series of rapidly alter¬ 
nating shales, thin limestones, and occasional sandstones 
intervene between the base of the Wreford limestone and 
the top of the Elgin' sandstone. The entire series ap¬ 
proximates a little less than 700 feet thickness. It con¬ 
sists chiefly of shales, but thin limestones are very abund¬ 
ant, and sandstones are not lacking. A succession of 
sandstone beds about 60 feet thick lies about 300 feet 
above the base of the series. Of this succession some in¬ 
dividual beds have a considerable thickness as shown in 
exposures along Buck Creek in the north-central part of 
the county. It is probably the same series that is seen 
farther to the southwest, east of Fairfax. Some of the 
higher of these beds are probably Permian in age. 

Structure .—The general structure of the Pennsylva¬ 
nian rocks north of the Arkansas River is a monocline 
with a westward dip averaging 30 feet to the mile along 
the Kansas line. The rate of dip farther to the south is 
not known exactly, but does not seem to be greatly dif¬ 
ferent. The general westward dip is often broken by 
gentle folds which give local east dips. In some cases the 
folding is so gentle that no eastward dip is observed, but 
the rocks lie nearly level for some distance and then dip 
to the west with a greater dip than the average. There 
is thus a smaller monocline or arrested anticline superim¬ 
posed on the large one. Some of the anticlinal folds are 
so short as to be classed as domes. It should be empha¬ 
sized that the structure in this area is very gentle except 
around the margin of the Ozark region. In some cases 
the dips are great enough to be observed with the eye or 
measured by a clinometer, but ordinarily several eleva¬ 
tions of a given ledge or horizon must be determined and 
the dip calculated from the difference in elevations. The 
streams cutting the rocks often give opportunities for 
these determinations. In many places detailed mapping 
and determination of as many elevations as possible by 
means of an alidade or transit is necessary before the 
structure can be made out. In some of the oil pools it is 
possible that there is no structure, but that the accumula¬ 
tion is due to short lenses of sand or local thickenings in 
the bodies of sandstone. The way in which these may 



50 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


effect the accumulation has been noticed in the section on 
theories of accumulation. 

Practically all of this area has- been surveyed by the 
United States and Oklahoma Geological surveys, but the 
results are to be published by the United States Survey 
and have not yet been made public. Consequently very 
little can be said as to the details of the structure. Such 
facts as are known are given in connection with the descrip¬ 
tions of the various oil pools and under the different coun¬ 
ties. 

The Sandstone Hills region south of Arkansas River. 

General statement. —The area of Pennsylvanian rocks 
south of the Arkansas differs from the area to the north 
principally in the almost complete absence of limestones 
and the greater abundance of sandstones which are much 
thicker than those to the north of the river. These sand¬ 
stones give the region as a whole a very rough surface 
and the name, sandstone hills region, is more applicable 
to this portion of the Pennsylvanian area than to the north¬ 
ern portion. 

Stratigraphy. —While the rocks are the southern con- 
tinuation of those north of the river they are so different 
that it was necessary for the United States Geological 
Survey to use an entirely different set of names in the coal 
fields of the Choctaw Nation which were studied several 
years ago. These names apply particularly to the south¬ 
ern part of the area under consideration, especially to the 
coal fields. There is consequently a large area in Okmul¬ 
gee, Okfuskee, McIntosh, Hughes, Seminole, and Potta¬ 
watomie counties where very little geologic work has been 
done and where there is considerable doubt as to the ex¬ 
act stratigraphy of the rocks and as to the names to ap¬ 
ply to them. From the small amount of work that has 
been done, however, it appears that the succession of rocks 
in this belt is in general the same as for the extreme south¬ 
ern part of the area, and also that there is a general thin¬ 
ning of the strata, especially of the sandstones. The 
thickening from north to south takes place in practically 


GEOLOGY OF OKLAHOMA 


51 


all the rocks, but is especially pronounced in the case of 
the Cherokee formation. As has already been observed 
this formation, which is less than 500 feet thick at the 
Kansas line, is represented in the region of Muskogee by 
two formations, the Boggy and Winslow, which are to¬ 
gether 1,500 feet thick. Farther south the Winslow—the 
lower of the two formations—thickens enormously and in 
the vicinity of McAlester and Coalgate is represented by 
several formations having a combined thickness of over 
6,000 feet. The entire section of the McAlester-CoaF 
gate region is shown graphically in figure 17. 

The formations are as follows, beginning at the 
bottom: 

(1) . The Wapanucka limestone, 100 feet thick, 
which forms the “limestone ridge” near Atoka and south 
and southeast of McAlester. 

(2) . The Atoka formation, 3,100 feet thick, con¬ 
sisting of clay shale, sandy shale, and sandstone, which is 
generally thin-bedded and friable. 

(3) . The Hartshorne sandstone, 150 feet thick, 
consisting of brown sandstone with local beds of shale. 
This formation outcrops as a low, wooded ridge near the 
outcrops of the lower workable coals. 

(4) . The McAlester shale, 1,800 to 2,000 feet thick, 
consisting of blue and black shale, and sandstone of vary¬ 
ing thickness, interbedded with several veins of coal, two 
of which are workable. 

(5) . The Savanna sandstone, 1,000 feet thick, con¬ 
sisting of thick-bedded sandstone and shale. Outcrops as 
prominent ridges near Savanna and McAlester and to the 
north and east. Thins out and disappears to the north¬ 
ward. 

(6). The Boggy shale, 2,000 to 2,600 feet thick, con¬ 
sisting of shale, shaly sandstones, and brown sandstones 
with local, thin, siliceous limestone and coal near the base. 

(7) . The Thurman sandstone about 200 feet thick 
consisting of brown sandstone, shale and chert conglomer¬ 
ates. 

(8) . The Stuart shale, 90 to 280 feet thick, consist¬ 
ing of blue and black clay shale with some sandstones. 


Fig. 17. 



south of Arkansas River. 




































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































GEOLOGY OF OKLAHOMA 


53 


(9) . The Senora formation, 140 to 485 feet thick, 
consisting of brown sandstone generally thick bedded. 

All these formations up to and including the Senora 
are believed to represent the interval occupied by the 
Cherokee formation near the Kansas line. See fig. 16. 

(10) . The Wetumka shale, 120 feet thick, consisting 
of clay shale above and sandy shale and thin sandstone be¬ 
low. 

(11) . The Wewoka formation, 700 feet thick, consist¬ 
ing of massive, brown, friable sandstone, with interstrati- 
fied soft, blue clay shale, and some limestone. 

(12) . The Holdenville shale, 260 feet thick, consist¬ 
ing of blue and yellow clay shale with thin, siliceous lime¬ 
stone and sandstone beds. 

(13) . The Seminole conglomerate, 50 feet thick in 
the region studied, but thicker to the north, consisting of 
a conglomerate of white chert in brown sand, succeeded 
by brown sandstone. 

Above these rocks and outcropping to the west are some 
higher unnamed shales and sandstones. These, however, 
can be considered as forming the lowest portion of the Red- 
beds since some of the members have the red color which 
becomes general a little higher in the section. It should be 
repeated that these formation names apply, as yet, only to 
the extreme southern portion of the area, but that they will 
probably be found to be applicable northwards almost to 
Arkansas River. At any event the rocks of the region be¬ 
tween that worked out and the Arkansas consist of sand¬ 
stones and shales, and it is thought that some, if not all, of 
the formations defined to the south have been recognized 
almost as far north as the Arkansas. 

Structure .—The structure of the portion of this area 
immediately south of the Arkansas is like that of the area 
north of the river, a monoclinal dip to the westward, in¬ 
terrupted occasionally by gentle folding. To the south, 
however, the folding becomes more intense and finally cul¬ 
minates in a very strongly folded and faulted area in the 
region to the north of the Ouachita Mountains. The struc¬ 
ture of the northern portion of the area has not been work- 



54 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


ed out, but that of the southern portion has been worked 
out in connection with the survey of the coal fields of the 
Choctaw Nation. The principal folds of the coal fields 
have been described by J. A. Taff in the nineteenth and 
twenty-first annual reports of the United States Geological 
Survey. These papers give the only account of the structure 
of the coal fields which has been published. The description 
of the structure given under the various counties in which 
the folds occur is taken in large part from these papers. 
The data for the accompanying map (PI. II), which shows 
the approximate location of the axes of the principal folds, 
are also taken from the maps of the two papers mentioned. 
It should be borne in mind that a map of this scale cannot 
show the structure with sufficient accuracy to justify one 
in attempting to locate favorable drilling sites from such 
a map without a thorough examination of the field. The 
map should be useful as a guide for field investigations and 
should save much preliminary work in locating the folds of 
this region. It is thought best to give the description of 
the individual folds in connection with the discussion of 
the counties in which they occur, in the pages near the end 
of the book. 


THE OUACHITA MOUNTAIN REGION. 

General statement .—The Ouachita Mountain region 
occupies the extreme southeastern part of the State, as 
shown on the accompanying map (fig. 18). The Ardmore 
Branch of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway 
forms the northwestern boundary; the main line of the 
Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway the western; the belt 
of level-lying Cretaceous rocks, the southern; and the 
State of Arkansas the eastern boundary of the area in Ok¬ 
lahoma. The area is really continuous with a large area 
in Arkansas. 

Stratigraphy .—The rocks exposed are principally 
shales and sandstones, ranging in age from Ordovician to 
upper Mississippian. The formations are as follows, be¬ 
ginning with the lowest: 

(1). The Stringtown shale, 600 feet thick, consisting 
of black and blue shales with a bed of cherty shale. 


GEOLOGY OF OKLAHOMA 


55 


(2) . The Talihina chert, 1,150 feet thick, consisting 
of flint and chert of various colors with some cherty and 
clay shales. 

(3) . The Standley shale, 6,100 feet thick, consisting 
of bluish and greenish shales and massive and thin-bedded 
drab sandstone. 

(4) . The Jackfork sandstone, 3,800 feet thick with 
the top eroded, consisting of brown and drab sandstones, 
shaly sandstones and thin shale beds. 

Structure .—The structure of the region is very com¬ 
plex. The rocks are very strongly folded and faulted and 
many of the folds are overturned. 

Detailed geologic work has been done in considerable 
of the region by the United States Geological Survey, but 
the results have not been published and are not available. 
Nothing can be said, therefore, as to the exact location of 
the folds and faults. The structure which causes all the 
rocks of the area to be strongly tilted, combined with the 
resistant properties of the thick Jackfork sandstone, causes 
this region to have the roughest surface of any portion of 
the State. The hills are sufficiently high to be known as 
mountains and names have been given to some of the prin¬ 
cipal groups. Among these are the Jackfork, Kiamitia, 
Winding Stair, Pine, Potato Hill, and Williams mountains. 
Most of these mountains are formed by the Jackfork sand¬ 
stone, but some of them are due to the Talihina chert or 
its equivalents. Owing to its extremely rough surface the 
region has little agricultural land and is very thinly set¬ 
tled. Roads and transportation facilities are very poor. 

ARBUCKLE MOUNTAIN REGION. 

Location and stratigraphy .—The Arbuckle Mountain 
region is situated in the south-central part of the State. 
The area is shown on the accompanying sketch map (fig. 
18) with that of the Ouachita and Wichita mountains. The 
uplift occupies parts of the following counties: Garvin, 
Murray, Carter, Johnston, Coal, and Pontotoc. The rocks 
exposed range in age from pre-Cambrian to Pennsylvanian. 
The section is as follows, beginning at the base: 


56 PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 



Fig. 18.—Map of Oklahoma showing the Ouachita, Arbuckle and 

Wichita mountain regions. 


(1) . The Tishomingo granite which forms the core 
of the mountains and outcrops in two areas, one east and 
one west of Washita River. 

(2) . The Reagan sandstone, from 0 to about 5’00 
feet thick composed largely of granite fragments with 
some shale in the upper portions, of Cambian age. 

(3) . The Arbuckle limestone, 4,000 to 5,000 feet 
thick, composed almost entirely of thick and thin-bedded 
limestone of Cambro-Ordovician age. 

(4) . The Simpson formation, 1,200 to 2,000 feet 
thick, composed of sandstones, shales, and limestones of 
Ordovician age. 

(5) . The Viola limestone, 500 to 700 feet thick, com¬ 
posed of almost pure limestone of Ordovician age. 

(6) . The Sylvan shale, 60 to 300 feet thick, composed 
of green and black clay shales of Ordovician age. 

(7) . The Hunton limestone, 0 to 300 feet thick, com¬ 
posed of two limestones and an intervening shale of Siluro- 
Devonian age. 

(8) . The Woodford chert, about 650 feet thick, com¬ 
posed of black shale with thin layers of chert, probably of 
Devonian age. 

(9) . The Sycamore limestone, 0 to 200 feet thick, 
composed of dense blue limestone, probably of Mississip- 
pian age. 





































































GEOLOGY OF OKLAHOMA 


57 


(10) . The Caney shale, about 1,600 feet thick, com¬ 
posed of black and blue shales of Mississippian age. 

(11) . The Glenn formation, of undetermined thick¬ 
ness, a complex of shales and sandstone of Pennsylvanian 
age outcropping on the southern side of the mountains, es¬ 
pecially in the Ardmore Basin. 

(12) . The Franks conglomerate, ranging from noth¬ 
ing to several hundred feet in thickness, composed of 
rounded pebbles and bowlders of limestone from the older 
rocks of the uplift. The conglomerate was deposited in 
Pennsylvanian times and lies uncomformably on the up¬ 
turned edges of most of the older rocks. 

History .—The rocks composing the Arbuckle moun¬ 
tains were deposited in pre-Pennsylvanian times in water 
which varied in depth from time to time and portions of 
the area were above the water for comparatively short in¬ 
tervals. During Pennsylvanian t : mes the area was uplift¬ 
ed into the shape of an immense dome. As soon as the up¬ 
lift commenced, the forces of weathering began their work 
of tearing down the exposed rocks and transporting them 
back to the ocean. By the end of Pennsylvanian times pro¬ 
bably as much as two miles thickness of material had been 
removed from above the granite core of the mountains. 
Toward the end of this period the sea again advanced over 
the area and the Franks conglomerate was built up from 
the bowlders of limestone which covered the old land sur¬ 
face. Later the lower parts of the Redbeds was deposited 
around the edges of the mountains, probably a good deal 
higher than we find them now, since a considerable thick¬ 
ness of them must have been removed by erosion since they 
were denosited. We' have, then, in the Arbuckle Moun¬ 
tains a truncated dome with the granite forming the core 
of the uplift and the steeply upturned older sedimentary 
rocks dipping in all directions rway from it. Over the 
edges of the upturned rocks at some distance from the 
granite core we have the level-lying Franks conglomerate 
and the Redbeds. 

Structure .—The structure has been spoken of as a 
dome, but it must be understood that the structure is not 
as simple as the term indicates. The rocks were under 


58 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


great pressure, as the uplift was formed by thrusts from 
the sides and not by pressure from beneath. As a result 
there were many minor folds produced and much faulting. 
Some of the folding is extremely complex and the faulting 
is so general as to make the structure very difficult to work 
out. The areas of the principal folds have been worked out 
with some degree of accuracy, but on account of the fault¬ 
ing and other conditions the folds are almost certainly 
without effect on oil and gas accumulation and there is no 
need of considering them in detail in this work. 

WICHITA MOUNTAIN REGION. 

The Wichita Mountains lie in the southwestern part 
of the State, in Comanche, Tillman, Jackson, Greer, and 
Kiowa counties. This region occupies approximately the 
area shown in figure 18. The long axis of the Wichita 
Mountains is in line with that of the Arbuckle Mountains 
and the two groups are almost certainly parts of the same 
general uplift with the connecting portion buried beneath 
the Redbeds between them. The Wichitas have had the 
same history and the same mode of formation as the Ar¬ 
buckles, except that the Redbeds were deposited much 
higher relatively on the Wichitas and buried them so deep¬ 
ly that only the granite peaks and some of the higher lime¬ 
stone hills remained above the Redbeds or have been un¬ 
covered by erosion. Of the section of sedimentary rocks 
as exposed in the Arbuckles only the Reagan sandstone, Ar¬ 
buckle limestone, and Viola limestone are shown in the 
Wichitas, and these only in comparatively small areas on the 
north side of the mountains. The Wichitas, then, may be 
regarded in the same way as the Arbuckles—as a truncated 
dome exposing considerable areas of the granite in the 
core of the uplift, and with the level-lying Redbeds lapping 
up over the upturned edges of the older sedimentary rocks. 
Presumably these older sedimentaries are folded and fault¬ 
ed similarly to those of the Arbuckles, but the covering of 
Redbeds completely hides the structure of the underlying 
rocks. 

THE CRETACEOUS OR RED RIVER LIMESTONE REGION. 

This area lies in the southern part of the State be¬ 
tween Red River on the south and the Arbuckle and 


GEOLOGY OF OKLAHOMA 


59 


Ouachita mountains on the north. Parts of Love, Carter, 
Atoka, Pushmataha, and McCurtain counties and all of 
Mai shall, Bryan, and Choctaw counties are included in the 
area as shown in figure 19. The rocks are sandstones, 



Fig. 19.—'Map of Oklahoma showing the Red River limestone region. 


shales and limestones, which dip very gently to the south¬ 
east. The section as exposed is as follows, beginning at 
the base: 

(1) . The Trinity sand, 300 to 400 feet thick. Fine 
yellow sand with conglomerate beds locally at the base. 

(2) . The Goodland limestone, 25 feet thick, massive 
white limestone. 

(3) . The Kiamichi formation, 150 feet thick, blue, 
soft shale with thin shell limestone beds in the lower por¬ 
tion. 

(4) . The Caddo limestone, 60 feet thick, yellow and 
white limestone interstratified with thin marly beds. 

(5) . The Bokchito formation, 140 feet thick, red and 
blue shale with thin irony limestone and lentils of soft 
sandstone. 

(6) . The Bennington limestone, 10 to 15 feet thick, 
blue shell limestone. 

(7) . The Silo sandstone, 200 feet thick with the top 
removed, brown, soft sandstone, locally hardened by iron 
cement, shale and shaly sandstone. 

All these formations dip gently to the southeast. The 
Trinity sand laps over the upturned edges of the older 


































































60 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


rocks of the Arbuckle and Ouachita mountains to the north. 
The dip of the formations is very uniform and no structure 
beside the southeastward dipping monocline has been 
found. The limestones are more resistant than the sand¬ 
stones or shales and usually stand up as northward facing 
bluffs which extend for long distances east and west. Both 
the limestones and the limy shales form a very rich soil 
when weathered down. 

THE REDBEDS AND TERTIARY REGION. 

Lying above and outcropping to the west of the Penn¬ 
sylvanian rocks is a great thickness of red shales and 
sandstones which are mostly of Permian age. In Kansas 
most of the Permian rocks are non-red and only the upper 
portion has the red color, but on coming south into Okla¬ 
homa the rocks of the lower part of the system begin to 
take on a red color and a short distance south of the State 
line all the Permian rocks and the extreme upper portion 
of the Pennsylvanian rocks are red. The only non-red 
Permian rocks in Oklahoma, except for some thin beds 
occurring with the rocks, are in an area comprising most 
of Kay County and small portions of Osage and Pawnee 
counties adjoining Kay. These are discussed in connection 
with the Kay County oil and gas field. The area of non- 
red Permian rocks is indicated on the general geologic map. 
(PI. I). The Redbeds area is shown on the accompanying 
map (fig. 21). It occupies practically all the western half 



Fig. 21.— Map of Oklahoma showing the Redbeds and Tertiary region. 




































GEOLOGY OF OKLAHOMA 


61 


of the State, the eastern boundary being a line drawn from 
Blackwell southeast, passing east of Perry and Stillwater, 
past Chandler to Shawnee and thence southwest to the west 
end of the Arbuckle Mountains, around the mountains and 
south to Red River. Included in the territory west of this 
line are the Wichita Mountains and some large areas in 
Ellis, Woodward, Harper, Beaver, Texas, and Cimarron 
counties, which are covered by rocks of Tertiary age much 
younger than the Redbeds. These rocks, however, are un¬ 
derlaid at a depth of at most a few hundred feet by the 
Redbeds. As far as the prospects for oil and gas are con¬ 
cerned the area may be considered as part of the Redbeds 
area. They are, however, indicated by a different color on 
the geologic map. 

The Redbeds consist of a great, but not definitely 
known, thickness of soft, red sandstones and shales with 
some ledges of gypsum and thin ledges of dolomite. The 
lower limit of the beds is not a plane since the rocks lower 
and lower in the series take on a red color to the south of 
the State line. The thickness is much greater therefore in 
the latitude of Shawnee than it is along the Kansas line 
and the beds thin again to the south in the vicinity of the 
Arbuckle and Wichita mountains. Near the middle of the 
State the beds probably reach a thickness of over 3,000 
feet. 

Stratigraphy .—The stratigraphy of the Redbeds is 
extremely erratic, that is, the ledges are short and lens 
shaped. Sandstones of 20 to 30 feet in thickness often 
pinch out in the distance of a few rods. Practically all the 
sandstones are strongly cross-bedded and short exposures 
give the appearance of strong dips which are extremely 
irregular in direction. If the ledge is exposed for some 
distance it is seen that the ledge as a whole lies practically 
level and that the appearance of dip is due to the cross¬ 
bedding. The only beds which can be followed for any 
great distances are some gypsums which lie pretty well up 
in the series. The details of the stratigraphy are of no 
importance in the consideration of the oil and gas pros¬ 
pects and need not be discussed. 

Structure .—The erratic nature of the stratigraphy of 
the Redbeds, the softness of the rocks, and the cross-bed- 


62 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


ding of the sandstones, which, besides the gypsums, are 
the only ledges which can be traced for any considerable 
distance, make it very difficult to determine whether or not 
there are any minor structures in the Redbeds, but from 
all indications there are no structures in the greater part 
of the area which would be favorable for the accumulation 
of oil or gas. In the vicinity of the Arbuckle and Wichita 
mountains and in the belt between these mountains and Red 
River some folds have been found, at least some of which 
are connected with the accumulation of oil and gas. The 
extreme eastern portion of the region may also show fav¬ 
orable structures when it is worked carefully. The only 
indication of a fold so far found in the greater part of the 
area is at Okarche, where an anticline seems to extend 
northwest-southeast a couple of miles southwest of the 
town. Even here, however, the exposures are so short and 
the sandstones so cross-bedded that the presence of the 
structure is open to some question. Too much emphasis 
cannot be given the fact that little reliance can be placed 
on appearance of structure in short outcrops in this region. 
The cross-bedding of the sandstones is extreme and in short 
exposures gives all the appearance of strong dips, but when 
the ledge as a whole can be followed any distance it proves 
to be practically level in all cases which have come to the 
writer’s notice. The shales associated with the sandstones 
are very soft, and when wet work out from under the sand¬ 
stones permitting the latter to slip. Large pieces are often 
broken from the ledges and lie in positions which indicate 
strong dips. In most cases, however, this condition can be 
made out and the ledge in place is found to be level. These 
conditions of cross-bedding and slip occur so often where 
they can be definitely identified as such that it is only fair 
to presume that appearances of dip in very short expo¬ 
sures of single ledges are due to one of these causes un¬ 
less they can be shown conclusively to be real dips. 


V. 


GEOLOGIC CONDITIONS IN OKLAHOMA WITH 
SPECIAL REFERENCE TO PROSPECTS 
FOR OIL AND GAS 


In the following paragraphs the prospects for oil and 
gas in the different regions of the State are considered. 
The districts or geological provinces are considered in the 
order in which they were discussed in the previous sec¬ 
tions. 

% 

Ozark Mountain region .—From the standpoint of the 
nature of the rocks and the structure there seems to be no 
reason why this region should not be productive of oil and 
gas. The Burgen sandstones is a loosely cemented, porous 
sand, which would form a good reservoir for oil and gas, 
and the shales of the Tyner and the Chattanooga shale 
should form a sufficiently thick impervious layer to make a 
good cap rock. The rocks are folded so that places where 
the structural conditions are favorable for accumulation 
can easily be located. However, up to the present no de¬ 
posits of either oil or gas of commercial importance have 
been found in the Boone chert or the rocks below it. This 
fact is recognized by the drillers who almost invariably 
stop when they are sure that the “Mississippi Lime,” (that 
is the Pitkin, Fayetteville and Boone) has been reached. 
Wherever these rocks have been penetrated a strong flow 
of salt water has resulted. So little detailed geologic work 
has been done in the region that it is impossible to say 
whether or not any of these wells have been located where 
the structural conditions were favorable for the accumu¬ 
lation of oil and gas, but it is highly improbable that all of 
them should have been located in synclines. The evidence, 
then, points to the fact that, although the nature of the 
rocks and the structural conditions are favorable for the 


64 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


accumulation of oil and gas if they were present, the Bur- 
gen sandstone and the underlying rocks must be barren of 
the organic matter to produce the oil and gas. So far as 
known there are no fossils in the Burgen sandstone and 
fossils are rare in the rocks in Arkansas of the same posi¬ 
tion and lower. In the absence of oil and gas, these rocks 
back from the outcrop are filled with salt water in the an¬ 
ticlines as well as in the synclines. The water falls on the 
outcrops of the older rocks to the east in Arkansas and 
works down the dip, being kept from escaping to the sur¬ 
face by the Tyner and Chattanooga shales. In the terri¬ 
tory along Grand River the water is under sufficient head 
to rise to the surface whenever the shales are penetrated. 
The flowing wells at Vinita, Claremore, Adair, and other 
places in this region are of this type, and it appears that 
there is practically no hope of obtaining oil or gas in this 
part of the area. Very few wells have been drilled along the 
south side of the region and it may be that small pools may 
be encountered in this part of the area, although the chance 
for any development must be regarded as extremely small. 
The more favorable localities for prospecting so far as 
known are given under the counties in which they occur. 

Pennsylvanian or Sandstone Hills region .—The geo¬ 
logic conditions in this area are extremely favorable for ‘ 
the formation and accumulation of oil and gas. The 
shales are black and bituminous. The limestones and some¬ 
times the shales and sandstones are fossiliferous. There 
is thus an abundant supply of organic matter for the for¬ 
mation of oil and gas. The coarse-grained, porous sand¬ 
stones form excellent reservoirs and the shales by which 
they are surrounded are impervious and prevent the es¬ 
cape of the oil to the surface. The structure is usually gen¬ 
tle, but is of the type best adapted to the accumulation of 
large bodies of oil and gas. 

The occurrence of important producing areas in this 
region is to be expected, and it is here that the main fields 
are found. In the portion of the area north of the Ar¬ 
kansas are the Bartlesville, Delaware-Childers, Goody’s 
Bluff-Alluwe, Osage and other fields; and in the portion 
south of the Arkansas are the Glenn Pool, the Cushing field, 
the development around Okmulgee, Muskogee, and Henry- 


GEOLOGIC CONDITIONS AS TO OIL AND GAS 


65 


etta, and the gas fields at Poteau and Coalgate. Each of 
these fields or pools is considered in some detail in a sub¬ 
sequent section. 

Ouachita Mountain region .—In the present state of our 
knowledge it must be regarded as doubtful whether the 
Ouachita Mountain region contains any oil and gas de¬ 
posits. No deep drilling has been done in the area in Ok¬ 
lahoma and the writer knows of none in Arkansas. The 
rocks as a rule are practically barren of fossils and would 
consequently not be supposed to produce large quantities 
of oil or gas. However, the older rocks, L e., those older 
than the Standley shale, are somewhat metamorphosed by 
the forces which produced the uplift and it may be that the 
traces of animal life have been obliterated by the changes 
which the rocks have undergone. At any rate the fact that 
some of the rocks at some time contained considerable 
deposits of oil is proven by the presence of considerable 
quantities of asphalt along faults in the McGee and Impson 
valleys and in other localities. 

The structure of the region is very sharp and faults 
are very common. Only a few of the faults are known to 
have asphalt deposits, so that several conditions seem 
possible. First, the oil deposits may have been small and 
widely separated so that the present asphalt deposits rep¬ 
resent all of the ancient oil beds. Second, the oil in escap¬ 
ing to the surface along the fault plains shortly after they 
were formed may have left the deposits of asphalt very 
near the surface of that time, and the deposits may have 
been largely removed by erosion since. Third, some of the 
oil deposits may not have been affected by the faulting and 
are still below the surface in some of’ the more gentle folds. 
Fourth, some of the faults may have intersected the oil¬ 
bearing strata, but may have sealed the deposits instead 
of allowing the oil to escape to the surface. As stated in 
the section on accummulation, some of the principal pools 
in the California fields have this sort of structure. (See 
figure 6). 

When everything is considered it seems as if this area 
must be considered as unfavorable territory for oil and gas, 
but there always remains the possibility that some of the 


66 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


more gentle folds or the territory along some of the fault 
lines may prove productive. The small amount of geologic 
work which has been done in the region and the fact that 
nothing has been published on the portion which has been 
worked make it impossible to point out any localities that 
are more favorable for prospecting than the others. 

Arbuckle Mountain region .—The general conditions in 
the Arbuckle Mountains are very similar to those in the 
Ouachita Mountains, although the sections themselves are 
very different. The rocks are much folded and faulted. The 
presence of large asphalt deposits show that at one time 
there were extensive deposits of oil of which the lighter 
constituents have escaped. These oil deposits were con¬ 
tained in the Simpson formation and possibly in part in 
the Viola limestone. The question then arises as to 
whether or not all of the oil has escaped. The presence of 
some seeps of very heavy oil or viscous asphalt is an indi¬ 
cation that the process of asphalt formation is not yet com¬ 
pleted and there may be some bodies of oil totally sealed in 
from the surface. 

The structure in the area of the mountains themselves 
is such that the presence of such bodies of any great size is 
extremely improbable. The folds are sharp and are fre¬ 
quently broken by faults which very often bring the Simp¬ 
son formation, which is the petroliferous horizon, to the 
surface so that if oil ever was present it has probably es¬ 
caped. The area has been worked over pretty thoroughly 
and no localities are known which seem at all favorable for 
prospecting. 

The conditions in a belt around the mountains may be 
somewhat more favorable since the older folded rocks were 
covered by the Pennsylvanian and Permian rocks on the 
east, north, and west in a comparatively short time after 
the folding of the mountains and after a longer interval by 
the Cretaceous rocks on the south and the folds were proba¬ 
bly not so deeply eroded as those in the exposed parts of the 
mountains are at present. There is also the possibility that 
the folding and faulting may be less pronounced farther 
away from the core of the mountains. In either of these con¬ 
ditions the oil may remain in the older rocks, or if it works 


GEOLOGIC CONDITIONS AS TO OIL AND GAS 


67 


up out of them there is a strong probability of its being 
trapped in sandstones or other porous rock before it 
reaches the surface. These conditions are believed to ac¬ 
count for the accumulations in the Wheeler and Madill 
fields near the Arbuckle Mountains. The conditions are 
discussed more fully in connection with the discussion of 
the relation of the geology to the prospects for oil and gas 
in the Red River limestone area and part of the Redbeds 
area. 

Wichita Mountain region .—It has been noted in the 
description of the Wichita Mountains that they have the 
same sort of structure and the same geological conditions 
in general as the Arbuckle Mountains except that they were 
more deeply buried in the Redbeds than the Arbuckles. It 
follows that the discussion of the prospects for oil and gas 
in the Arbuckle Mountains applies also to the Wichitas. If 
we restrict the area to the peaks of granite rocks and 
small areas of limestone to the north of the mountains, the 
chances may be said to be zero. The conditions around the 
mountains are the same as those around the Arbuckles 
and are considered in connection with the discussion of 
the Redbeds and with the description of the development at 
Lawton and Gotebo. 

Cretaceous or Red River limestone region .—The gen¬ 
eral conditions in the Red River limestone area are shown 
in the accompanying diagram. The Cretaceous sandstones, 
shales, and limestones lie nearly level above the older rocks 
of the Arbuckle and Ouachita mountains, which were 
folded and faulted and worn down before the Cretaceous 
rocks were deposited over them. The Cretaceous rocks 
themselves are very fossiliferous and the character of the 
rocks of the upper part of the section is such that oil and 
gas should be formed in them. However, there is no fold¬ 
ing or change in the general southeastward dip, so far 
as has been observed, and consequently there is no oppor¬ 
tunity for the accumulation of large quantities of' the oil 

or gas. 

The Trinity sand, the lowest formation of the Creta¬ 
ceous, contains practically no plant or vegetable remains, 
but on the other hand it does contain several deposits of 
asphalt which are supposed to be the residue of deposits 


68 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


of petroleum, the lighter oils of which have escaped. In 
addition to the asphalts one pool of oil of commercial im¬ 
portance, that at Madill, has been found in this sand in 
Oklahoma. The origin of this oil and of the asphalt de¬ 
posits is somewhat uncertain, but it is usually believed to 
have been formed not in the Trinity itself, but in the un¬ 
derlying older rocks. By reference to figure 20 it is seen 
that the Trinity is deposited over the upturned edges of 
the Pennsylvanian and older rocks which were folded at 



Fig. 20.—Diagram illustrating the geologic relations of the Cretaceous 
rocks and the occurrence of oil and gas in them. 


the time of the formation of the Arbuckle Mountains. The 
Pennsylvanian rocks and the Simpson sandstone of the 
older formations are known to be oil-bearing as is shown by 
the asphalt deposits of the Arbuckle Mountains and of the 
Ardmore region. If the oil in these older tilted rocks had 
not escaped before the Trinity was deposited it would 
gradually work its way up out of these rocks into the 
Trinity. If the Trinity was very thin at that locality the 
oil would probably move on to the surface where the lighter 
constituents would escape and the heavier ones would be 
left in the form of asphalt. In this connection it may be 
said that the Trinity at the Madill pool is about 400 feet 
thick, while farther north where most of the asphalt de¬ 
posits occur the sand is probably considerably thinner. 
The basal portion of the Trinity is usually coarser than the 
higher parts, and thus would afford a place for the accu¬ 
mulation of the oil and gas. If one of these coarser places 










GEOLOGIC CONDITIONS AS TO OIL AND GAS 


69 


should be overlaid by very fine or clayey sand the conditions 
would be very similar to those of sandstone lenses occur¬ 
ring in shale or to local thickening of sandstones which 
have been mentioned in the discussion of the conditions of 
accumulation. (See figure 9). 

The presence of the pool at Madill is not indicated by 
any surface characteristics, and it is easily seen that accu¬ 
mulations of this kind would not be related to structure of 
the rocks at the surface or to any surface feature. There 
may be many such pools in the region, but the drill is the 
only method of prospecting for them. It seems reasonable 
to suppose that the chances for such accumulations would 
be greater back from the outcrop of the Trinity, provided 
that the rocks underlying the Trinity were equally petroli¬ 
ferous and that they were inclined in the same way that 
they are near the outcrop. 

It is the writer’s opinion, then, that other pools re¬ 
sembling the one found at Madill may be found in the 
southern parts of Marshall, Bryan, and Choctaw counties 
and possibly in southern Love and McCurtain counties, but 
the development is strictly a wild-catting proposition. There 
is no structure nor any surface indications to serve as 
guides in prospecting or in locating wells. In any case it 
is not probable that oil will be found in this region at a 
depth greater than 1,000 feet, since the Trinity should be 
passed through at that depth in any part of the area and 
at considerably less depths in a large part of it. The 
chances for encountering commercial bodies in the older 
rocks underlying the Trinity are almost zero, although such 
a thing is possible. 

The Redbeds region .—The red color of the Redbeds is, 
in itself, almost' conclusive proof that they do not contain 
any considerable quantity of oil or gas. It was noticed 
in the sections on origin and accumulation that oil and gas 
are almost certainly derived from organic matter and that 
they probably were formed in the rocks in which they now 
exist or at least have not moved through the rocks for 
great distances. The red color of the Redbeds is due to the 
presence of iron in the oxidized form, probably in a form 


70 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


identical with ordinary iron rust. In the presence of or¬ 
ganic matter this red compound is changed chemically to 
dark-colored, usually black or green compounds. The pre¬ 
vailing red color of these rocks, then, is proof that there 
was not sufficient organic matter buried with them to ef¬ 
fect this change. The quantity required to change the red 
iron compounds to dark colored compounds is very much 
less than would be required to give commercial deposits of 
oil or gas, so that it seems quite certain that there are no 
deposits of these substances which were formed in the red 
rocks themselves. 

The Redbeds consist so largely of fine-grained clay- 
shale that it seems impossible for the oil and gas to have 
migrated for great distances through them, and any de¬ 
posits which were formed in other rocks and which have 
moved into the Redbeds must be found very near the rocks 
from which they came. This reduces the portion of the 
Redbeds area which can be considered as at all promising 
for oil and gas to a narrow strip along the eastern margin 
where they are sufficiently thin for the underlying non-red 
rocks to be reached by the drill and a similar area around 
the Arbuckle and Wichita mountains and between these 
mountains and Red River. The probabilities are greater 
in this region than along the eastern margin, because in 
the southern area the older rocks below the Redbeds are 
steeply tilted and any oil or gas which was in these rocks 
has had an opportunity to work up and out into the basal 
layers of the Redbeds. The conditions in the Wichita 
Mountains are similar except that the Redbeds come 
up higher on the older rocks, so that the exposures 
of the latter are much less than in the Arbuckles. The 
thickness of the Redbeds increases very rapidly to the north 
from both groups of mountains, but between the mountains 
and south to Red River and beyond, the depth to the older 
rocks is nowhere over a few hundred feet. In this region 
there is also the possibility of determining the structure, 
while in the main portion of the area to the north of. the 
mountains there seems to be no evidence of structure, so 
far as has yet been determined. 

The development of the region in the vicinity of the 
mountains, while not extensive, is very promising. The 


GEOLOGIC CONDITIONS AS TO OIL AND GAS 


71 


Wheeler field south of the Arbuckle Mountains, the Law- 
ton and Gotebo fields near the Wichitas, and the Loco and 
Duncan (Arthur) fields between the two groups are de¬ 
scribed in the section on the oil and gas development out¬ 
side the main fields. There has been no development 
worthy of note south of the mountains in Oklahoma, but the 
Petrolia, Electra, and Burkburnett fields in Texas, a 
short distance south of Red River, are strong indications 
that the region is at least worthy of investigation. The 
newspapers have just reported (July, 1913), the discov¬ 
ery of oil at Crete, Jackson County. If this report should 
be correct, the area in which oil may be expected is ex¬ 
tended farther west than indicated by previous develop¬ 
ment. During the summer of 1912, the United States and 
Oklahoma Geological Surveys conducted co-operative work 
in southeastern Tillman and southern Cotton counties un¬ 
der the direction of M. J. Munn of the Federal Survey 
and the work is being continued the present year by C. H. 
Wegenmann, also of the United States Survey. Mr. Munn 
was successful in finding sufficient structure to indicate 
that the area is well worthy of prospecting. The full re¬ 
port on the work is still in press, but a preliminary press 
report was issued by the United States Survey shortly after 
the completion of the field work, the full text of which as 
far as it concerns the prospects in this particular region is 
given herewith. 

The area covered by the reconnaissance embraces about 360 
square miles in the southeastern corner of Tillman County and the 
southwestern part of Cotton County, Oklahoma. It includes the whole 
or parts of Tps. 3, 4 and 5 S., Rs. 12, 13, 14 and 15 W., and portions 
of Tps. 4 and 5 S., R. 11 W., and the east part of Tps. 4 and 5 S., R. 

16 W. 

Favorable Places for Test Wells. 

In his preliminary statement to the Survey of the main results 
of the examination, Mr Munn reports that an anticline apears to cross 
Red River in or near the southwest quarter, Sec. 32, T. 5 S., R. 12 W. 
The dip within one and one-half miles along the western limb of this 
fold is probably between 50 and 75 feet (the character of the rocks 
exposed rendering an exact measurement impossible). The trend of 
this fold is uncertain but it may be stated that almost any portion of 
Sec 32 T 5 S., R. 12 W., appears favorable, structurally, for oil and 
gas The northwest! quarter of the section seems most favorable. If 
an oil and gas pool is present in this vicinity it very probably ex¬ 
tends to adjacent portions of Sec. 33, 28, 29 and 31. 

In T 4 S., R. 12 W., some good exposures of Permian sandstone 
and clay-lime conglomerate suggest strongly that a structural “high” 


72 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


exists a short distance north of the town of Randlett. It is 
not possible at this time definitely to outline this anticline or structu¬ 
ral dome, but it seems likely that the crest is situated somewhere in 
the SW. % of sec. 21, the SE. % of Sec. 20, the NE. *4 of sec 29, or the 
NW. x /4 of sec. 28, T. 4 S.,, R. 12 W. The “high” may be a dome of small 
extent, or it may be' a part of a fairly definite anticline trending east¬ 
ward, leaving the township in either sec. 24 or 25. There may be a sec¬ 
ondary structural dome in sec. 24, T. 4 S., R. 12 W., because the beds 
dip about 50 feet from the top of the large buttle in the northeast 
quarter of this section; at a small butte about one mile north of it in 
sec. 13, and also at about the same rate towards the northeast. The 
structure of the rocks south of the large butte for almost two miles 
can not be determined. In the NW. % sec. 26 the beds are several 
feet lower. The trend of this anticline is probably south 50° or 60° 
E. The position of this fold was not determined in T. 4 S., R. 11 W. 
It seems most likely to pass across some portion of sec. 32 and 33, 
but it is probably becoming lower and flatter toward the southeast. 
Thel shallow test well drilled in the Southeast corner of sec. 30 prob¬ 
ably lies half a mile south of the axis of this fold. This location 
seems on the whole a favorable one for testing, but a still better one 
would be about miles northwest of it, as the rocks there are prob¬ 
ably 30 feet higher structurally. If a test well is sunk near Randlett 
it should be located near the center of either sec. 21 or 27, T. 4 S., 
R. 12 W. 

In T. 4 S., R. 13 W., the strata at the southwest corner of sec. 
24 seem to be between 40 and 50 feet higher than they are in sec. 35 
and 11. Other available data suggest that the high elongated hill in 
secs. 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27, T. 4 S., R. 13 W., is in part structural 
and therefore somewhat more favorable for oil and gas than portions 
of the adjacent territory. There seems to be little preference in a 
location for a test here. Probably as good a place as any would be 
in the northeast quarter of sec. 26. 

In a general way the northwestern part of T. 4 S., R. 13 W„ would 
appear worth a trial for oil or gas if pools are found in other areas. 
Secs. 8, 9, 16, and 17 are probably somewhat more promising than the 
adjacent ones. A small round hill in the NW. % sec. 16 is capped by 
a thick clay-lime conglomerate that is probably 40 feet higher at this 
place than at the northern edge of Devol, one mile to the southwest. 
It is also about 20 feet higher than at an exposure near the northeast 
corner of sec. 8, but its altitude at intervening points is not known. 
This clay-lime conglomerate bed dips about 15 feet in the first l 1 /* 
miles to the north from the northwest corner of sec. 8, and from that 
point dips about 55 feet more in the next 1 y 2 miles northward to the 
dry hole in the NW. ^4 sec. 28, T. 3 S., R. 13 W. It seems very' prob¬ 
able that if this well had been located one mile farther to the south¬ 
east it would have been on the axis of the anticline which plunges 
steeply toward the north. So far as structure is concerned the loca¬ 
tion of this dry hole is very unfavorable, and it should not be con¬ 
sidered a fair test for this vicinity. In fact, it is thought that best 
wells located in the SW. % of sec. 33, or on, or near the high hill in 
the southwest corner of sec. 35, T. 3 S., R. 13 W.; in the NE. % or 
the NW. of secs. 8 and 9 respectively, T. 4 S., R. 13 W., will per¬ 
haps, have as good chance of developing oil or gas as any part of this 
territory. 

North of Deep Red Run rock exposures are meager. If a test 
well is contemplated in T. 3 S., R. 13 W., north of Deep Red Run it 


GEOLOGIC CONDITIONS AS TO OIL AND GAS 


73 


might as a venture be placed in the N. y 2 of sec. 9 or adjacent terri¬ 
tory to the northeast. 

In Tps. 3 and 4, S., R. 14 W., the principal structural feature is a 
“high” vaguely outlined by exposures on Big Blue and Little Blue 
creeks and on streams flowing north into Deep Red Run. Spirit 
level lines to these outcrops show that from the divide between Red 
River and Deep Red Run the rocks dip fairly uniformly, but at a low 
angle to both of these streams. The exact position and character of 
this structural feature is not fully determined. It is probably a broad 
low irregular fold with a somewhat sinuous east-west trend and may 
be a continuation of the “high” already described in the northwest 
part of T. 4 S., R. 13. It seems to continue westward through por¬ 
tions of T. 4 S., R. 15 W. A test in the area east of Grandfield should 
be located either in the north tier of sections of T. 4 S., R. 14 W., or 
in the southern tier of T. 3 S., R. 14 W. Probably the central part of 
sec. 1, T. 4 S., R. 14 W. should receive slight preference. 

When the field work was being done a derrick had been built in 
the southwest corner of sec. 9, T. 4 S., R. 14 W. about one mile south¬ 
ward from the station at Grandfield. This seems to be a fairly fav¬ 
orable location for a wildcat test, though the available data are too 
meager to admit of a more definite statement. 

In T. 3 S., R. 14 northward from Deep Red Run the rocks rise 
very gently, but the exposures are so rare as to furnish no evidence 
of decided folds if they exist. 

There is some good evidence that a small anticline crosses Big 
Blue Creek in the SE. % of sec. 26, T. 4 S., R. 14 W., less than a mile 
above its mouth. The axis of this fold seems to trend almost east- 
west. A test in this vicinity should be located near the east-west 
line through the middle of secs. 26, 27, 28, and 29. 

In T.. 4 S., R. 15 W., the beds appear to rise at a very small 
angle from the east, south, and north to a broad level area in secs. 7, 
8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15 and 16 in which very few exposures occur. 

The structure of T. 3 S., R. 15 W. also is not definite. The most 
prominent feature is a gentle rise of the rocks toward the west and 
southwest, across the township. 

A dry hole located in the NE. *4 of sec. 9, less than a mile north 
of the station at Loveland, seems to be near the middle of a very 
broad flat syncline in which the rocks are practically level. 

Work was done in the eastern parts only of Tps. 3, 4, and 5 S., 16 
W. Few exposures are present in this territory and but little geologic 
information is available regarding the structure. The character of 
the topography suggests a general dip toward the west from east of 
the middle of T. 4, but this evidence taken alone is of very little 
value. 

According to the present incomplete data it is suggested that the 
first wells in Tps. 3, 4, and 5 S., Rs. 15 and 16 W. should be located in 
some parts of the high, smooth prairie country south of the “Breaks” 
in T. 4 S., R. 15 W. Also it is suggested that any producer who may 
be inclined to wildcat in the Quanah district should locate on the old 
town site of Quanah or in the west half of sec. 31, T. 3 S., R. 15 W. 

In offering these suggestions for the use of drillers in choosing 
locations for test wells (“wildcatting”), the geologists are assuming 
that the formations containing the oil-bearing sands in the Electra, 
Burkburnett and Petrolia fields of northern Texas underlie ad¬ 
jacent portions of Oklahoma. This assumption is warranted to some 
extent at least by the evident continuity of the outcropping beds 
from one district to the other. It has been assumed that the forma- 


74 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


tions containing the oil sands in northern Texas also contain the 
same or similar oil-bearing beds in southern Oklahoma. It is quite 
certain that the general structural conditions are similar in the two 
areas, and on the whole there seems to be no reason, determinable in 
advance of drilling, why portions of southern Oklahoma do not con¬ 
tain pools of oil and gas of commercial size. 

In considering the prospects for development in the 
Redbeds region one other factor should be taken into ac¬ 
count. This is the expense of drilling. The returns when a 
strike of oil is made are so large that prospecting may be 
done when the chances are rather small if the cost of drilling 
is small. For instance, in the shallow field in northeastern 
Oklahoma the cost of sinking a well to the oil and gas-bear¬ 
ing horizon is usually less than $ 1,000. In the Redbeds 
away from the mountains the conditions are entirely dif¬ 
ferent. The rocks are soft and cave so badly so that drill¬ 
ing is very difficult and expensive. The depth at which 
there is any hope at all of finding oil or gas is also great, 
2,000 feet or more over most of the area, and the chances 
for finding anything at that depth very small on account of 
/he absence of surface structure which would enable one to 
select the more probable localities for prospecting. The 
cost of sinking a well to a depth of 2,000 feet when most 
of the depth is through Redbeds will vary considerably, 
but $10,000 is a conservative estimate. The cost increases 
very rapidly with increasing depth and a well 3,000 feet 
deep probably cost $20,000 or more. Prospecting in this 
region is thus very expensive and in view of the small 
chance for any returns is scarcely to be considered a good 
business proposition. 





. 36 °& 0 ’ 


R8E- 


RI4E. RIBE R'6E 

Plate II.—Location of axes of folds in Southeastern Oklahoma. 









































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































VI. 


HISTORY OF THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY 

IN OKLAHOMA 

The Oklahoma oil fields are part of the Mid-Continent 
field which includes the eastern parts of Kansas and Okla¬ 
homa. Attempts to secure oil and gas were made in Kansas 
as early as 1860, but the methods used were not fitted to 
drill to sufficient depths and it was not until 1882 that com¬ 
mercial quantities of either oil or gas were found. In that 
year gas with a small supply of dark heavy oil was found 
at Paola and gas alone in Wyandotte County. The field at 
Paola is still furnishing some gas, but the wells in Wyan¬ 
dotte County failed after about 15 years. Active develop¬ 
ment began about 1890; the Neodesha field was opened in 
1893, and in the same year a good gas well opened up the 
field at Iola. Drilling was commenced about the same time 
at Humboldt, Chanute, Cherryvale, Coffeyville and Inde¬ 
pendence; but it was not until about 1900 that the greatest 
development began in these localities. 

For several years the portion of the Mid-Continent 
field in Kansas was much more important than that in In¬ 
dian Territory, but after about 1904 the principal develop¬ 
ment was on the south side of the line and the Territory 
surpassed Kansas in output. Kansas reached its maximum 
output in 1907 when 42%iillions of barrels were produced, 
and has declined rather rapidly since that time, decreasing 
about 1% million barrels for each of the last four years. 
Gas has been a more important product in Kansas than in 
Oklahoma and except in 1904 the value of the gas has been 
greater than that of the oil, reaching a maximum value of 
$8,293,846 in 1909, but declining to $4,854,534 in 1911. 

The discovery of oil and gas in Kansas about 1882 ex¬ 
cited the interest of the Five Civilized Tribes in Indian Ter¬ 
ritory, and in 1884 the Choctaw Council passed an act 


76 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


forming the Choctaw Oil and Refining Company. The 
Cherokees followed the example of the Choctaws almost 
immediately and passed a similar act. Both companies 
secured the co-operation of the Dr. H. W. Faucett of New 
York. A well was started in the Choctaw Nation on Clear 
Boggy Creek about 14 miles west of Atoka, and one in the 
Cherokee Nation, on Illinois River about 20 miles north of 
Tahlequah. The Cherokee Council of 1885 repealed the 
Charter of 1884 and operations on the well north of Tahle¬ 
quah were stopped. The charter was re-instated in 1885, 
but financial support could not be obtained and the proposi¬ 
tion was not carried further. Drilling continued at the 
Choctaw well until Dr. Faucett’s death in 1888, when it had 
reached a depth of 1414 feet without encountering more 
than showings of oil and gas. 

There was little further activity in Indian Territory 
until 1894, when the Cudahy Oil Company secured a blanket 
lease on the Creek Nation and had 2 wells drilled at Mus¬ 
kogee. Both showed good prospects, but there was no de¬ 
velopment until 1904, when title to the lands could be ob¬ 
tained. 

The Cudahy Oil Company also secured leases on about 
200,000 acres in the vicinity of Bartlesville and operations 
were started there. In 1896 the passage of the Curtis bill 
forced them to surrender all “unproved” lands, leaving 
them only the section on which Bartlesville now stands. 
Some development had been made at Chelsea prior to 1893 
and the Cherokee Oil and Gas Company had a large acre¬ 
age leased. The Curtis bill caused the surrender of these 
leases and little was done in the Cherokee Nation until 
1904, when it became possible to get allottee’s leases ap¬ 
proved by the Department of the Interior. 

Prior to 1904 tests had been made in the Osage Nation 
as early as 1896. At this time all the lands of the Nation 
were leased to Edwin B. Foster, who secured a 5-barrel well 
at a depth of 1,100 feet, 3 miles south of Chatauqua Springs, 
Kans. A well was drilled to a depth of 2,575 feet at Eu- 
faula in the Choctaw Nation with good showings of oil and 
gas at three horizons. A well at Red Fork opened the Red 
Fork-Tulsa district in 1901. 


HISTORY OF OIL AND GAS IN OKLAHOMA 


77 


The principal development in Oklahoma fields began 
in 1904 and in the following paragraphs brief accounts of 
the development in each year from that time to the present 
is given. The total production and value of the output is 
given in this connection, but the detailed statistics are re¬ 
served for another section. 

During the first six months of 1904 practically all the 
activity in the Indian Territory was confined to the Osage 
Nation. The Indian Territory Oil and Illuminating Com¬ 
pany had a blanket lease on all the Osage lands and sublet 
the lands to the actual operators. The first well in the 
Cleveland pool in Pawnee County, Okla. Terr., was in Sep¬ 
tember and a great rush both to the Oklahoma lands and 
to the Osage lands across the river resulted. Some develop^ 
ment was also carried on throughout the year in the vi¬ 
cinity of Muskogee, Chelsea, Red Fork, and Bartlesville. 
The townsite pool at Muskogee was developed during this 
year. Later in the year the Secretary of the Interior be¬ 
gan to confirm leases in the Cherokee Nation. Drilling was 
immediately prosecuted with great activity, most of it be¬ 
ing centered in the vicinity of Bartlesville, Chelsea and 
Alluwe, Lenapah, and Dewey. At the close of November 
Chelsea had about 96 producing wells; Red Fork, 50; 
Cleveland, 10; Muskogee, 35 or more; Bartlesville nearly 
100; and other points in the Osage territory 75 or 80 more. 
The Prairie Oil and Gas Company was the principal pur¬ 
chaser of the product. The prices paid during the year 
varied from 31 cents for the heavy oils to 72 cents for the 
lighter oils. The production of Oklahoma and Indian Ter¬ 
ritories was 1,366,748 barrels, valued at approximately 
$1,325,750. 

In 1905 there was no phenomenal new development, 
but the (Shallow field was extended north to Coody’s Bluff, 
making a proven length of from 15 to 18 miles; the Bart- 
lesville-Dewey pool was actively developed, especially along 
the Cherokee-Osage line south from Paw T huska, to the north¬ 
west and west from Bartlesville, and to the northwest of 
Dewey, where a new pool was developed; the Cleveland 
field was actively developed and some wells were had in the 
vicinity of Pawhuska in the western part of the Osage Na¬ 
tion. The field near Wheeler in the southern part of the 


78 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


State was discovered in 1905. Prices for oil were very low 
in 1905, the price paid for the lighter grades of oil being 
50 to 53 cents. 

In 1906 active development continued in the regions 
already opened, especially in the shallow Coody’s Bluff 
field and in the Bartlesville area. The remarkable feature 
of the year was the opening of the Glenn pool, a few miles 
southeast of Red Fork, in the early part of the year. The 
first well was completed in December, 1905. By the end of 
1906 a number of wells with an initial capacity of over 
1,000 barrels had been drilled in and the limits of the pool 
had not been located. The total number of wells in the 
pool by the end of the year was about 110. Another re¬ 
markable pool was opened on sec. 27, east and a little south 
of Dewey and 4 miles east of Bartlesville. This area is 
only one mile across, but was developed very rapidly, and 
some wells of over 1,000 barrels capacity were brought in. 
The limits of the pool were soon defined, however, and the 
wells had settled down to about 300 barrels capacity by the 
end of the year. By the beginning of 1907 the field along 
the 96th meridian was pretty well outlined as extending 
from the Kansas line south almost to Tulsa with a width of 
up to 5 miles or more. Several 1,000 barrel wells were 
brought in during 1906, most of them on the Osage side of 
the line, but some on the Cherokee or eastern side. These 
wells held up better than most of those in other parts of the 
field. The Morris pool in southeastern Okmulgee County 
was opened by a well southeast of town in the summer of 
1906. As at previous times, the Prairie Oil and Gas Com¬ 
pany was the only important purchaser of the Oklahoma 
oils. The prices were very low. The average for the 
year was 47 cents for light oil and 31% cents for heavy 
oil. Late in the year arrangements were made by two of 
the large interests of the Gulf coast, the Texas Company 
and the Gulf Pipe Line Company, to build pipe lines into 
the Oklahoma field and both lines were completed during 
the following year. As in 1905, the published statistics 
combine the production of Kansas and Oklahoma The pro¬ 
duction of both States was about 16,500,00 barrels and 
the value, $7,250,000. The total production in Oklahoma 
and Indian Territories for the year was in the neighbor- 


HISTORY OF OIL AND GAS IN OKLAHOMA 


79 


hood of 7,000,000 barrels and the value about $3,800,000. 
Neither the value nor the production can be stated accurate¬ 
ly since the statistics for Kansas and Oklahoma were not 
kept separately. 

)In 1907 the Glenn pool continued its remarkable rec¬ 
ord of the previous year. At the beginning of 1907 this 
pool was showing a monthly production of 385,939 barrels. 
This increased rapidly until in the month of October it 
reached its maximum of 2,441,662 barrels. The production 
of the pool then began to decline and by the end of the year 
had declined to the rate of six months before. Considera¬ 
ble development was also made in the Morris pool. Sev¬ 
eral good wells were brought in, but the field proved to be 
rather spotted. In the Cherokee district the development 
in the shallow field continued and the production was main¬ 
tained in spite of the fact that few new wells were brought 
in during the latter part of the year. The Dewey-Copan 
field was extended west by some wells of very large pro¬ 
duction. This extension was in the Osage lands. A good 
field was developed along Hogshooter Creek about 15 miles 
southeast of Bartlesville. The larger oil wells had a ca¬ 
pacity of about 500 barrels per day and the gas wells from 
5 to 15 million cubic feet per day. The Hogshooter field 
has since become more important on account of its gas 
than on account of its oil production. The prices for oil 
continued very low. There was very little variation through 
the year, the price for light oil ranging from 39 to 41 cents 
and for the heavy oils from 26 to 28 cents. The production 
for the year was 44,300,149 barrels with a value of $17,- 
824,342. 

Development work in 1908 was steady and the pro¬ 
duction of Oklahoma showed some increase over that of 
1907 although there were no remarkable new finds. The 
decrease in production of the Glenn pool was checked by the 
drilling of new wells, the cleaning out and shooting of old 
wells and the finding at widely separated points of a deeper 
productive sand. A new pool of exceptionally high grade 
oil was found at Muskogee. Very late in the year a 1,400 
barrel well was completed in the Morris pool which led to 
considerable new drilling. Probably the principal develop¬ 
ment of the year was in the northern end of the shallow 


80 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


field (the Delaware-Childers pool). Production in the vi¬ 
cinity of Dewey and in the Osage generally declined. The 
price for light oil was uniformly 41 cents throughout the 
year and for heavy oil remained very nearly 82 cents. The 
production was 45,798,765 barrels, valued at $17,694,843. 

In 1909 a strong effort was made by the Producers 
Association to curtail the production on account of the ex¬ 
tremely low prices prevailing and there was only a slight 
increase over that of the previous year. The Glenn pool, 
and the Osage showed a slight decline. The only new pool 
of importance was the Preston pool 5 miles north of Ok¬ 
mulgee. A new pipe line, that of the Oklahoma Pipe Line 
Company to Baton Rouge, La., was assured. The price 
for light oil was 41 cents per.barrel for the first half of the 
year and 35 cents the latter half. Heavy oil stood uniform¬ 
ly at 28 cents. The production was 47,859,218 barrels and 
valued at $17,428,990. 

In 1910 there was a considerable increase in produc¬ 
tion over that of 1909. All the older fields were developed 
intensively and there was no marked decline in any of them. 
The principal new development was in Okmulgee County 
in the vicinity of Henryetta and in Osage County at Osage 
Junction, across the Arkansas from the Cleveland pool. 
Gas was discovered at Poteau in the extreme eastern part 
of the State and south of the developed territory. The 
prices paid for oil ranged from 35 to 42 cents per barrel 
for light oil and from 28 to 42 cents for heavy oil. During 
the last part of the year the price for all grades of oil was 
made uniform and this practice has since been continued. 
The new pipe line to Baton Rouge was completed, which 
assisted in bettering trade conditions. The production 
was 52,028,718 barrels, valued at $19,922,660. 

Development in 1911 was considerably retarded by the 
prolonged drouth which hindered both drilling and manu¬ 
facturing enterprises, but in spite of this there was an in¬ 
crease in the production over that of 1910. The principal 
factors of this increase in the production were the continued 
development of the pools near Osage Junction and in the 
Pawnee County pool and the increase in the Hogshooter 
field. The price of oil advanced from 44 to 50 cents per 


HISTORY OF OIL AND GAS IN OKLAHOMA 


81 


barrel and the rising prices had no small share in stimula¬ 
ting activity, so that the production was increased to 56,- 
069,637 barrels, valued at $26,451,767. 

For 1912 the most important feature of the industry 
was the increase in the price of oil, since this was mainly 
responsible for the increased activity throughout the field. 
During the year the price for oil increased from 50 to 
83 cents per barrel. The operators responded actively 
to the increased prices for the product and drilling was 
prosecuted more rapidly than in any previous year. The 
old pools were extended and filled in and a great amount 
of wildcatting was done, much of which was successful in 
developing new territory. The most striking feature of 
the new development was the discovery of the Cushing 
pool in western Creek County. The first well was brought 
in during March and by the end of the year over 75 com¬ 
pletions had been made with very few failures and over 
TOO rigs were centered in the field. The initial production 
of the wells was very high and the quality of the oil good. 
Other important developments were: the discovery of deep¬ 
er sands in the Cleveland field, which had been producing 
from shallower sands for 8 years, the eastward extension 
of the Glenn pool with wells of 300 to 500 barrels initial 
capacity, the opening of the Adair pool west of Nowata, 
the continued development of the Ponca City field in Kay 
County to the west of the main field, and the pronounced 
activity in Okmulgee County, carrying the field to the 
southeast. More good gassers were brought in in the 
Poteau field which had been opened during the previous 
year and a new gas field opened in Coal County. The 
Wheeler field showed renewed activity as did the field at 
Gotebo. A good gas well was brought in near Duncan in 
Stephens County, and there was some development at Loco 
in the southeastern part of the same county. Some heavy 
oil was obtained in both localities. The State showed a 
decrease in production of about 4,000,000 barrels from that 
of 1911, the total production being 51,852,457 barrels. The 
average price was 67.4 cents, giving a total value of $34,- 
957,612, an increase of $8,505,845 over 1911 in spite of the 
decrease in production. 

In 1913, there has been no remarkable development, 
but all the older fields have shown steady activity and a 


82 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


healthy development. The fields near Duncan, Loco, and 
Lawton have attracted considerable attention and some of 
the larger companies have entered the fields. Oil as well 
as gas has been found in these fields. The price of oil has 
continued to rise until at the present time it stands at 
$1.03 per barrel. It is too early yet to make any predic¬ 
tions as to the production or value for the year, but the 
indications are that the loss in production of 1912 will be 
made up and that on account of the increased price of the 
product the value will be still greater than in 1912. So far 
(July) the pipe line runs for each month have shown an 
increase over the corresponding month in 1912. 

The statistics of production for the different pools are 
given, so far as they are available, under the discussion of 
the pools. However, it seems best to give in this connec¬ 
tion the three tables following, since they deal with the 
State as a whole and supplement the notes already made 
on the history of the field. 


TABLE SHOWING PRODUCTION, VALUE, ETC., OF PETROLEUM IN 

OKLAHOMA, 1900-1912. 



Production 


Percentage 


Rank. 

Year 

barrels 

Increase. 

of increase 

, Value. 

Prod. 

Value. 

1900 

1901 

1902 

1903 

1904 
1905(e) 
1906(e) 

6,472 

10,000 

37,100 

138,911 

1,366,748 

6,466,200 

18,500,000 






3,528 

27,100 

101,811 

1,227,837 

5,099,452 

12,033,800 

54.51 

271.00 

7,125 

32,940 

142,404 

1,325,745 

3,524,122 

8,000,000 





375.68 



884.00 



373.05 



537.33 

2 

4 

1907 

44,300,149 

25,800,149 

135 27 

17,824,342 

1 

2 

1908 

45,798,765 

1,498,616 

5.23 

17,694,843 

1 

3 

1909 

47,859,218 

2,060,453 

4.50 

17,42S,990 

2 

4 

1910 

52,028,718 

4,169,500 

8.71 

19,922,660 

2 

2 

1911 

56,069,677 

4,040,919 

7.77 

26,451,767 

2 

2 

1912 

51,852,457 

*4,217,180 

*7.52 

34,957,612 

2 

2 


*Decrease. e Estimated. 


TABLE SHOWING NUMBER OF WELLS COMPLETED IN OKLAHOMA, 

1904-1912. 



1904 

1906 

1906 

1907 

1908 

1909 

1910 

1911 

1912 

Completed . 

361 

2510 

2779 

3956 

2844 

3279 

3777 

4087 

5993 

Oil . 

243 

2059 

2268 

3490 

2458 

2742 

3188 

3294 

4712 

Gas . 

21 

98 

163 

148 

102 

157 

181 

489 

438 

Drv . 

97 

353 

348 

318 

284 

380 

408 

304 

843 


























































HISTORY OF OIL AND GAS IN OKLAHOMA 


83 


TABLE SHOWING TOTAL AND AVERAGE INITIAL PRODUCTION OF 
NEW WELLS IN OKLAHOMA, 1905-1912, IN BARRELS. 

Total initial Average initial 
production production 

1905 . 111,390 54.1 

1906 . 161,286 71.1 

1907 . 459,862 131.7 

1908 . 214,152 87.1 

1909 . 206,454 75.3 

1910 . 226,638 71.1 

1911 . 262,333 79.6 

1912 . 228,886 48.6 










PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 



VII. 

DESCRIPTION OF THE MAIN OIL AND GAS 

FIELDS OF OKLAHOMA 


The oil and gas fields of Oklahoma may be divided into 
the main field in the northeastern part of the State and the 
outlying areas in the other sections. The main oil and gas 
field may be subdivided into several districts as follows: 
Nowata district or shallow field, Bartlesville district, Sa- 
pulpa district, Tulsa district, Muskogee district, Okmulgee 
district, Osage district, Pawnee County or Cleveland dis¬ 
trict, Cushing district, and Kay County. Most of these dis¬ 
tricts are again subdivided into pools or fields. The loca¬ 
tion of the principal pools is shown on the development 
map (PI. III). In the following sections each district is 
considered in turn and the pools contained in each are 
noted separately. 


NOWATA DISTRICT. 

The Nowata district includes Nowata County and the 
northern part of Rogers County. It is the portion of the 
Cherokee field known as the “Shallow Field” with the ad¬ 
dition of the Adair pool west of Nowata. The district may 
be divided into the following pools: Coody’s Bluff-Alluwe, 
Delaware-Childers, Nowata or Claggett, California Creek, 
and Adair. 

Coody’s Bluff-Alluwe pool .—The Coody’s Bluff-Alluwe 
pool lies principally on the east side of the Verdigris River, 
extending from Spencer Creek west of Chelsea on the south, 
northward to the line between Tps. 26 and 27 North. The 
total length of the pool from north to south is about 18 
miles. The greatest width is about the latitude of Alluwe 
Post Office, where it is about 5 miles, and the least width is 
about 2 miles in the vicinity of Coody’s Bluff Postoffice. 



lacknell. 


r OMesa 


Iche/oi 


\6RovtCp 


He/ena 


Woodward 


WauHy 


FAIR\/I£V& 


(Perry 


WESTV/uC] 
sf / 


Perk/ns 


'UTHRJt 


Moun. 


i'ATOHGA 

N E 


Will well' 


)Sfrouat 


Thomas 


1ANDLE* 


P/ec/mont/ 


]Edmo/id 


YYetm 


Creyerm 


I RAPA HOE 


i Clinton 


Weatherf ->ro/ 


YuNon 


OKLAHt 


Hinton 


>ALl/SA 


WekvtAtP 


Unco 


Tuff/e 


BPMWi! 


\H£WOkA 


Curtam 


Guintonl*. 




^MaurrRrm 


'OLDEMVILL 


UDARMO 


TOKm-. 


Monaco 


* went 




Hoi/eyv'tt 


HOLL/S 


Ul£** 


AWTOH 

~Le/(tfa 


lEsmaun 


HUGO 


Ardmore 


W/aifr/Ao 


iitiMa 


> BoMcRito 


Dl/RAmt 


fAl TETTA 




Statute Miles 


showing Developed Fields 

cmaf prodabfe 

OH and Gas Territory 

in 

Oklahoma . 

(The re/crtive probabi/ify oh f/noting 
0/ior (jas in the different parts of the 
State is shown Sy the continuity crncf 
w/dih of the fines.) 

Developed Apeas. 


i CoodysBluff- Alluwe ns. 
■I DELAWAR-ChilDERS 16. 

1 Caufopn/a Creek ± p. 
t. Adair. > is. 

.5 Canary & Co pan . * IS. 

Dewey-Bartlesville . >20. 
Avant-Ochelata . * Zl. 

5 Bird Creek- Flat Rock ~* 22 . 
>9 Collinsville. -* 23 . 

>t Clenn Pool >24 

>// Muskogee x zs. 

w. Morris. (>Z6. 

W.Henrye/ta-Schaffer. s Z7. 
Beggs. 


Preston. 

Bald Pill 
Cush/ng. 

Ponca City. 
Cleveland. 
Osage Junction 
Poteau. 

Coal Countk 

madill 

Wheeler. 

Loco. 

Duncan. 

Lawton. 

6otebo. 


Map 


26 


Boise Ory 

CIMARRON 


T B 

Plate III.—Oil and gas development map of Oklahoma. 








































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































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r>^ ,« 


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.xiO fOV^X ‘<>\ 

OS 

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-UV^NSA ££ 

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MK$A\&> &% 
Yf5V**fc\ *\% 


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. MAVM&V\U 
VW. 

> l 'K\v^.;", k: V V,-.-: 















































DESCRIPTION OF THE OKLAHOMA FIELDS 


85 


The total area of the pool is about 75 square miles. The 
northern and southern portions of the pool are sometimes 
considered separately as the Coody’s Bluff and Alluwe 
pools, the division line being drawn at Salt Creek, where 
there is a rather marked break in the development. The 
extreme southern part of the pool lies west of Chelsea and 
is sometimes known as the Chelsea pool. The northern line 
of the Coody’s Bluff-Alluwe pool is merely one of conven¬ 
ience, as the development is practically continuous with that 
of the Delaware-Childers pool. 

i 

The development is fairly solid over the area as out¬ 
lined, although there are occasional dry holes scattered 
through the field sometimes in close proximity to produc¬ 
ing wells. There are also occasional gas wells throughout 
the field, but they are much more abundant along the east 
side, especially in the Coody’s Bluff portion of the field 
where the gas development extends as much as 2 miles to 
the east of that of the oil. The state of development in the 
early part of 1913 is shown in figure 22. 

The wells in the pool vary considerably in depth on 
account of the irregularities of the surface and on account 
of the fact that the axis of the pool is diagonal to the strike 
of the rocks, i. e., the wells in the northern part of the pool 
are started at a higher geological horizon than those at the 
southern end of the field and the depth to the producing 
sands is correspondingly greater. The depth of the wells 
in the Alluwe portion of the pool varies from about 350 to 
about 575 feet and in the Coody’s Bluff portion from about 
500 to about 750 feet. In general the shallower wells are 
to the south and east and the deeper ones to the north and 
west. The wells in the southern part of the pool are start¬ 
ed near the upper surface of the Fort Scott (Oswego) for¬ 
mation and those in the northern part of the field, with few 
exceptions, start below the base of the Altamont. 

Two producing sands are known in each portion of 
the pool. The upper is probably the Bartlesville sand and 
is found about 400 feet below the top of the Fort Scott or 
Oswego limestone. It furnishes by far the greater portion 
of the production. ’The lower sand in the southern portion 
of the pool is about 65 feet lower than the Bartlesville. The 


86 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


lower sand in the northern part is 200 feet below the Bart¬ 
lesville. It is known as the Burgess sand. The Bartles¬ 
ville sand varies from 20 to about 25 feet and the lower 
sand in the Alluwe portion of the field from 15 to 20 feet 
in thickness. 

The oil from this field is usually a dark green or green¬ 
ish black in color and its specific gravity is in the neigh¬ 
borhood of 35 degrees Baume. The base is of mixed para¬ 
ffin and asphalt. The proportions of the two vary greatly 
but the paraffin usually predominates. . 

The following tables give the well record and the total 
and average initial production for this pool in 1905, 1906, 
and 1909, 1910, and 1911. For 1907 and 1908 the statis¬ 
tics for the whole shallow sand district are combined and 
those for the separate pools cannot be given. The southern 
part of the field is divided by the U. !S. Geological Survey 
into the Chelsea and Alluwe pools. 


TABLE SHOWING AVERAGE INITIAL CAPACITIES OF WELLS IN THE 
COODY’S BLUFF-ALLUWE-CHELSEA POOL, 



Coody’s Bluff 

Alluwe 

Chelsea 

Year 

Total 

Average 

Total 

Average 

Total 

Average 

1905 

7,160 

27.3 

5,116 

31.9 

3,960 

18.1 

1906 

22,845 

44.8 

13,749 

33.6 

6,828 

19.6 

1909 

1,565 

22.7 

7,196 

32.4 

7,405 

33.1 

1910 

1,625 

24.3 

4,465 

25.5 

7.920 

24.6 

1911 

928 

17.2 

1,674 

18.0 

1,935 

15.6 


WELL RECORD OF THE COODY’S BLUFF-ALLUWE-CHELSEA POOL. 



. Coody’s Bluff 

Alluwe 

Chelsea— 

Year 

Tot. 

Oil 

Dry 

Gas 

Tot. 

Oil 

Dry 

Gas 

Tot. 

Oil 

Dry 

Gas 

1905 

280 

262 

8 

10 

165 

160 

4 

1 

244 

218 

20 

6 

1906 

549 

510 

28 

11 

441 

409 

25 

7 

400 

348 

44 

8 

1909 

72 

69 

3 


246 

222 

24 


262 

224 

38 


1910 

73 

67 

6 


190 

172 

7 

1 

351 

322 

25 

4 

1911 

56 

54 

2 


98 

93 

4 

1 

138 

124 

11 

3 


The following logs are typical of the Coody’s Bluff- 


Alluwe pool: 

For the Alluwe portion of the pool. 


LOG OF WELL, MAJORA E. CAREY NO. 4, IN SEC. 19, T. 25 N.. R. 17 E 



Thickness, 

Depth, 


Feet. 

Feet. 

Soil . . . 

.7... 15 

15 

Gravel . 

. 5 

20 

Shale . . 

. 15 

35 

Lime . . 

. 30 

65 

Shale . . 

. 5 

70 

Lime . . 

. 8 

78 

Shale . . 

. 20 

98 

Lime .. 

. 5 

103 



Thickness, 

Depth, 


Feet. 

Feet. 

Shale. 


120 

Sand . 

. 12 

132 

Shale. 

.246 

378 

Sand. 


389 

Shale. 

. 20 

409 

Sand. 

. 6 

415 

Shale. 

. 37 

452 

Oil sand ...». 

. 12 

464 

Shale. 

. 6 

469 




















































































DESCRIPTION OF THE OKLAHOMA FIELDS 


87 


For the Coody’s Bluff portion of the pool. 

LOG OF WELL. NO. 2. IN SEC. 13. T. 26 N., R. 16 E. 


Soil. 

Gravel and sand 

Light shale . 

Lime. 

Dark shale . 

Lime. 

Thickness, 

Feet. 

. 15 

. 21 

. 84 

. IS 

. 8 

. 40 

Depth, 

Feet. 

15 

36 

120 

138 

146 

1S6 

Dark shale .. 

Lime. 

Light shale 

Lime. 

Light shale 
Oil sand ... 
Dark shale . 

Thickness, 

Feet. 

. 4 

. 8 

. 30 

. 10 

. 262 

. 31 

. 15 

Depth, 

Feet. 

190 

198 

228 

238 

500 

531 

546 

LOG OF WELL, 

HILL N. E. 

OF ALLISON PUMP 
N., R. 16 E. 

HOUSE, SEC. 

24, T. 26 


Thickness, 

Depth, 


Thickness, 

Depth, 


Feet. 

Feet. 


Feet. 

Feet. 

Lime. 

. 35 

35 

Shale. 

. 30 

318 

Shale. 

. 175 

210 

Lime . . . ... 

. 10 

328 

Lime. 

. 20 

230 

Shale. 

. 242 

570 

Shale. 

. 8 

238 

Gas sand .... 

. 20 

590 

Lime. 

. 50 

288 

Oil sand .... 

. 20 

610 


Nowata pool .—The Nowata or Claggett pool is the 
western extension of the Coody’s Bluff pool. It embraces 
about 5 square miles in Nowata County, in secs. 8, 9, 16, 
17, 18, T. 26 N., R. 16 W. The depth of the wells varies 
from about 550 feet near Verdigris River on the eastern 
side of the field to about 725 to 750 feet on the western 
edge of the pool. The productive sand is the Bartlesville, 
which lies from 390 to 410 feet below the top of the Fort 
Scott or Oswego lime. The sand varies in thickness from 
15 to 20 feet and is separated by 5 to 10 feet of sandy shale 
from a lower sand of about the same thickness. The wells 
in the eastern part of the pool are started about the top of 
the Big Lime (Altamont) and those in the western part 
about the horizon of the Lenapah limestone. 

The Nowata pool is pretty well surrounded by dry 
holes which define the area of the pool. There are also dry 
holes scattered through the pool, but it is probable that 
many of these are not truly dry, but gave a smaller pro¬ 
duction when they were brought in than was expected, or 
than could be profitably handled at that time. The number 
of gas wells in the pool is small. Several occur on secs. 16 
and 21 about 2% miles northwest of Nowata and another 
group is about 5 miles southwest of the town. The town 
is supplied from this group of wells. Four or five more 
wells are scattered through the field. The supply is suf¬ 
ficient for local demands only. 

The following logs are typical of the Nowata pool: 























































88 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


LOG OF WELL. CHAS. CLAGGETT NO. 1. IN SEC. 17, T. 26 N.. R. 16 E. 




Thickness, 

Depth. 



Thickness, 

Depth, 



Feet. 

Feet. 



Feet. 

Feet. 

Shale . 
Lime . 

. 

. 40 

. 30 

40 

70 

Black 
Lime . 
Black 

shale .... 

• • ••••••• 

shale .... 

. 10 

. 12 

. 25 

390 

402 

427 

Black 

slate .. 

. 15 

85 

Lime . 


. 8 

435 

White 

slate . 

. 10 

95 

Black 

shale .... 

. 30 

465 

Lime, 

Pawnee 

. 40 

135 

White 

shale .... 

. 35 

500 

Black 

shale . 

. 5 

140 

Sand . 


. 25 

525 

White 

shale 

. 10 

150 

Black 

shale .... 

. 30 

555 

Sand . 

• • • • • • • 

. 35 

185 

Shale, 

banded .. 

.161 

716 

Black 

shale . 

. 115 

300 

Oil sand . 

. 20 

736 

Lime . 

• • • • • • • 

. 30 

330 

Slate. 


. 5 

741 

Black 

shale .. 

. 10 

340 

Sand . 


. 12 

753 

Lime . 

. 

. 40 

380 

Shale . 

. 

. 5 

758 


LOG OF WELL, MARY METRER NO. 1, SEC. 19, T. 26 N., R. 11 E. 



Thickness, 

Depth, 


Thickness, 

Depth, 


Feet. 

Feet. 


Feet, 

Feet, 

Surface and 

shale.... 85 

85 

Limestone . 

. 10 

450 

Limestone . . 

. 25 

110 

Shale. . . 

. 30 

480 

Shale. 

. 25 

135 

Limestone . 

. 6 

486 

Limestone . 

. 40 

175 

Shale. . . 

. 19 

605 

Shale. 

. 200 

375 

Sand . . . . 

. 35 

540 

Limestone . . 

. 20 

395 

Shale . . . 

. 95 

635 

Shale . . ... 


400 

Sand. . . . 

. 20 

655 

Limestone . . 

. 8?> 

435 

Shale . . . . 

. 96 

751 

Shale. 

. 5 

440 

Oil sand . 

. 21 « 

772 


The development of this pool is shown with that of the 
Alluwe-.Coody’s Bluff pool in figure 22. The following table 
gives the well record of the pool and the total and average 
initial production of the wells of the pool since 1909. 


WELL RECORD OF NOWATA OR CLAGGETT POOL. 



Wells Completed 

Initial Production 

Year 

Total 

Oil 

Dry 

Gas 

Total 

Average 

1909 

232 

213 

15 

4 

5620 

26.4 

1910 

109 

103 

4' 

2 

2150 

20.9 

1911 

149 

88 

25 

36 

1202 

13.7 


Delciware-Childers pool .—This pool extends westward 
from the Childers Post Office to the northeastern corner of 
T. 27 N., R. 14 E. It is the westward extension of the 
northern end of Coody’s Bluff pool and the general condi¬ 
tions are approximately the same. Along Verdigris River 
the width of the pool is a little over 2 miles, but north and 
west of Delaware it is less than one-half mile. The de¬ 
velopment is shown on the map (fig. 23). The logs of the 
dry wells show that the sand is present on both sides of the 
productive area, but it seems to be tight. The sand is ap¬ 
parently continuous with that of the Coody’s Bluff-Alluwe 
field and is therefore thought to be the Bartlesville sand. 
The depth of the oil varies from 670 to about 900 feet. The 
initial production of the wells in this pool was high, many 

































































T.25N. T.26N. 



T - 24N - H25N. 































































































































































































































































DESCRIPTION OF THE OKLAHOMA FIELDS 


89 


of the wells starting: off at better than 150 barrels. The 
pool was developed very rapidly and the decline in produc¬ 
tion was also rapid; most or all of the wells now producing 
are being pumped and some have been abandoned. The 
production now is small compared to the initial production. 
The oil is very similar in character to that of the Coody’s 
Bluff pool. 

The following log is typical of this pool: 


LOG OF WELL. HENRY ROBBINS NO. 1, IN N. E. % S. E. y 2 SEC. 

28, T. 27 N., R. 16 E. 



Thickness, 

Depth, 


Thickness, 

Depth, 


Feet. 

Feet. 


Feet. 

Feet. 

Lime . 

• • •••••••••••••• 2o 

25 

Shale . . . 

. 12 

368 

Shale . 

• • ••••••••••••• 

80 

Lime . . . 

. 12 

380 

Lime . 

. 50 

130 

Shale . . 

. 30 

410 

Shale 

and sand.150 

280 

Lime . . . 

. 8 

418 

Lime . 

. 30 

310 

Shale . . 

.252 

670 

Shale . 

. 6 

316 

Gas sand 

. 10 

680 

Lime . 

. 40 

356 

Oil sand 

.:. 40 

720 


The well record of this pool and the initial production 
of the wells are shown in the following table: 

WELL RECORD OF DELAWARE-CHILDERS POOL, 



Wells Completed 

Initial Production 

Year 

Total 

Oil 

Dry 

Gas 

Total . 

Average 

1909 

546 

475 

65 

6 

57,320 

120.7 

1910 

757 

673 

80 

4 

59,185 

88.0 

1911 

650 

597 

43 

10 

54,266 

90.9 


California Creek pool .—The California Creek field is 
located principally along the creek of that name in Tps. 
28 and 29 N., R. 15 E., about 6 miles south of Coffeyville, 
Kans. The development has been comparatively recent, 
most of it having taken place in 1911 and 1912. The ma¬ 
jority of the wells are gassers and the pool is much more 
important on account of its gas than on account of its oil 
production. In December, 1912, a total of 25 gas wells 
had been brought in which had an average capacity esti¬ 
mated at from about 3,500,000 to about 4,250,000 cubic 
feet per day, and an average initial pressure of 373 pounds 
to the square inch. A large part of the supply goes to 
Coffeyville, Kans., and some to other towns in Kansas 
through the lines of the Kansas Natural Gas Company. 
The general geologic conditions of this pool are the same 










































T . 27N . T . 28N . 



pools . 

































































































DESCRIPTION OF THE OKLAHOMA FIELDS 


91 


as those of the Delaware-Childers pool. The following log 
is typical for the California Creek pool: 


LOG OF WELL. DANIEL LOWERY. SEC. 26, T. 28 N.. R. 15 E. 


Soil. . 

Clay. 

Thickness, 

Feet. 

. 4 

. 11 

Depth, 

Feet. 

4 

15 

Shale . . . . 

Thickness, 

Feet. 

. 6 

Depth, 

Feet. 

526 

Shale. 

. 20 

35 

Lime. 

. 35 

561 

Sand. 

. 5 

40 

Shale . . . . 

. 5 

566 

Light shale 

. 40 

m 

Lime. 

. 8 

574 

Dark shale . 

.100 

180 

230 

Shale . . . . 

. 25 

599 

Brown shale 

. 50 

Lime. 

. 8 

607 

Shale. 

. 70 

300 

Shale . . . . 

. 100 

707 

Limestone . 

. 65 

365 

Lime. 

. 5 

712 

Shale. 

. 20 

3S5 

Light shale 

. 40 

752 

Sand. 

. 30 

415 

Dark shale 

. 100 

852 

Sand. 

. 5 

420 

Light shale 

. 200 

1062 

Shale. 

. 65 

485 

Dark shale 

. 59 

1111 

Lime .. 

. 35 

520 

Miss, lime . 

. 9 

1120 


The development of all except the extreme northern 
part of this pool is shown with that of the Delaware-Child¬ 
ers pool in figure 22. 

Adair pool .—The Adair pool is located about 6 miles 
west of Nowata, principally in T. 26 N., R. 15 E. While it 
lies in the Nowata district as defined in this book, it is 
more closely related geologically to the Hogshooter and other 
pools of the Bartlesville district than to the shallow pools 
east and north of Nowata. The wells start about the top 
of the Coffeyville formation and encounter the Fort Scott 
(Oswego) lime at about 625 feet and the top of the Bart¬ 
lesville sand about 400 feet lower. The thickness of the 
Bartlesville sand is reported as being 34 feet. The Adair 
pool is one of the recent developments of the Oklahoma 
field. It was discovered in October, 1911, and its develop¬ 
ment has been very rapid. Recent work shows a trend to 
the south into the valley of Purgatory Creek. The develop¬ 
ment of the pool is shown with that of the Hogshooter pool 
in figure 27. 


BARTLESVILLE DISTRICT. 

The Bartlesville district lies to the west of the Nowata 
district and includes all of Washington County and a nar¬ 
row strip along the east side of Osage County. For con¬ 
sideration here the district is divided into the following 
pools: Canary, Copan, Wann, Dewey-Bartlesville, and 

Hogshooter. In general, the oil and gas are found in the 
same sands as in the Nowata district, but on account of the 































92 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


prevailing westerly dip, they occur at considerably greater 
depths, usually over 1,000 feet. On this account this dis¬ 
trict has usually been known as the Cherokee deep-sand 
field in distinction from the shallow-sand field to the east. 

Canary pool .—The Canary pool lies in the extreme 
northeastern part of Washington County in T. 29 N., Rs. 
13 and 14 E. The pool embraces an area of about TO square 
miles and has its long axis in a northeast-southwest di¬ 
rection. 

The productive oil horizon in the Canary pool is reached 
at depths of from 1,175 to 1,200 feet, with the greatest 
depth in the southwestern part of the field. The wells 
start in the shales of the Wilson formation of Kansas. The 
productive oil sand is the Bartlesville, which also furnishes 
some gas. Gas is also found in the Mississippi gas sand. 
The Bartlesville is unusually thick in this pool. The ma¬ 
jority of the logs show thicknesses of from 40 to 60 feet and 
some of them as much as 110 feet. It is probable that when 
only 40 feet or less is shown in the log that the sand was 
not drilled through. A large number of wells produce both 
oil and gas, in which case the gas comes from the upper 
portion of the sand and the oil from the lower portion. 
There are also several gas wells scattered through the 
northeastern part of the pool, while the southwestern part 
is almost strictly a gas field. The whole pool is remarka¬ 
bly free from dry holes. 

The Canary is probably considered as a part of the 
Copan pool in the published statistics of the United States 
Geological Survey. For the Copan pool the average initial 
production is given at 54.4 barrels in 1909 and 33.7 barrels 
in 1910. These figures are probably fairly accurate for the 
Canary pool. 

The gas field of this pool is continuous with the pool 
of Caney, Kans. The gas is obtained in part from the 
Bartlesville sand and in part from the Mississippi gas 
sand. The average initial capacity of the wells was deter¬ 
mined as 31,570,000 cubic feet per day and the average 
pressure was 440 pounds per square inch. The demands 
made on the field were very heavy and the wells deteriora¬ 
ted rapidly. In September, 1911, the capacity was deter- 


DESCRIPTION OF THE OKLAHOMA FIELDS 


9f 


mined as 916,000 cubic feet and the pressure as 18 pounds. 
Measures are being- taken to revivify the wells by pumping 
off the water and also by drilling deeper into the sand in 
the wells in which it was not drilled through when they 
were brought in. 

The development of the Canary pool is shown in fig¬ 
ure 24. 

The following log is typical of the Canary oil and gas 

field. 


LOG OP WELL. EMMA WELCH NO. 2. SEC. 18, T. 29 N., R. 14 E. 



Thickness, 

Depth, 



Thickness, Depth, 


Feet. 

Feet. 



Feet. 

Feet. 

Big lime . 

. 65 

670 

Gas 

sand .... 

. 20 

1241 

Oswego lime . 

. 90 

870 

Oil 

sand . 

. 41 

1309 


The well record and statistics of initial production of 
the oil wells for this pool are included in the Copan pool. 


Covan pool .—The Copan pool extends from northeast 
to southwest across T. 28 N., R. 13 E. It occupies an area 
of about 8 square miles and is practically continuous with 
the Canary pool on the north and with the Bartlesville- 
Dewey pool on the south. Some development in the south¬ 
east part of T. 28 N., R. 12 E. extends the development into 
Osage County and may be considered a part of the Copan 
pool. The pool is primarily an oil producer, although there 
are a few scattered gas wells. 

The sands found are the same as in the Canary pool, 
the Bartlesville and the Mississippi gas sand, and in addi¬ 
tion a shallow sand which was overlooked in the early de¬ 
velopment. The Bartlesville is found at from 1,30*0 to 
1,450 feet below the surface and about 350 feet below the 
top of the Fort Scott (Oswego) lime. It is about 29 feet 
thick. The Mississippi sand lies about 200 feet below the 
Bartlesville and is about 25 feet thick. The shallow sand 
lies about 700 or 800 feet below the surface and is proba¬ 
bly the sandstone in the upper part of the Labette shale. 

The average initial production of the oil wells drilled 
in the Copan (probably including the Canary and Wann 
pools) in 1909 was 54.4 barrels and in 1910 was 33.7 bar¬ 
rels. 











T.29N 



R.I2E. R.13E. KANSAS_ »■<*£• 










































DESCRIPTION OF THE OKLAHOMA FIELDS 


O' 


The development of the pool is shown in figure 25. 


The following logs are typical of the Copan pool: 

LOG OF WELL, JANE HILL NO. 2, SEC. 35, T. 29 N.. R. 13 E. 


Thickness, 

Feet. 

Little limje (Lenepah) 20 
■Rier lime. . 90 

Depth, 

Feet. 

565 

780 

Oswego lime . 

Gas sand . 

Oil sand . 

Thickness, 

Feet. 

.... 80 
.... 20 
.... 33 

Depth, 

Feet. 

990 

1265 

1309 





LOG OF WELL, 

WILLIAM MILLER NO. 6, NE. %, SEC. 

1, T. 28 N., 

R. 13 E. 


Thickness, 

Depth, 


Thickness, 

Depth, 


Feet. 

Feet. 


Feet. 

Feet. 

Soil and clay .. 

. 20 

20 

Sand and shale 

.... 50 

420 

Limestone . . . .. 

. 5 

25 

Big lime . 

.... 315 

735 

Sand, soft . 

. 40 

65 

Shale. 

.... 65 

800 

Shale. 

. 95 

160 

Limestone. 

.... 35 

835 

Sand, soft . 

. 40 

200 

Limestone. 

.... 5 

840 

Shale. 

. 50 

250 

Shale. 

.... no 

950 

Lfmestone. 

. 20 

270 

Oswego lime . 

.... 80 

1030 

Shale. 

. 100 

370 

First show of oil 


1331 


Warm pool .—This pool is located to the east of the 
Copan pool in the west part of T. 28 N., R. 14 E. The de¬ 
velopment consists of a group of wells from 1 to 2 miles 
west of Wann and another group about 4 miles southwest 
of Wann. The general conditions of the pool are similar 
to those of the Copan pool. The development is shown to¬ 
gether with that of the Copan and the northern part of the 
Bartlesville-Dewey pools in figure 25. 

The well record of the Copan (including Canary and 
Wann) pool is given in the following table: 



WELL 

RECORD 

OF THE 

COPAN 

POOL, 



Wells Completed 

Initial Production 

Year 

Total 

—on 

Dry 

Gas 

Total 

Average 

1909 

95 

43 

17 

35 


2340 

54.4 

1910 

208 

121 

22 

65 


4082 

33.7 

1911 

282 

216 

45 

21 


5890 

27.3 


Dewey -Bartlesville pool —The Dewey-Bartlesville pool 
occupies a large area extending from the north line 
of T. 27 N., on the north to the south line of T. 26 
N., on the south and from the eastern line of Wash¬ 
ington County west across the country and from 1 to 3 
miles into Osage County. There are many undeveloped 
spots in this area, but except along the eastern line of 
Washington County there are very few sections that do 
not have some producing wells. The portion of the pool 
north from Bartlesville is divided into two fairly distinct 
divisions by a belt along the Missouri, Kansas & Texas 

























































T.28N 


T. 27 N . 



R >ZE. _ R.I3F. , R.I4E. 










































































DESCRIPTION OF THE OKLAHOMA FIELDS 


97 


Railway, which has several dry wells. To the north the 
pool is practically continuous with the Copan pool, to the 
southeast with the Hogshooter pool and to the southwest 
with the Ochelata-Avant development. The division into 
separate pools is thus largely one of convenience, but the 
lines of separation are drawn at more or less pronounced 
breaks in the development. 

Four sands have proven productive of oil or gas or 
both in the Dewey-Bartlesville pool. The shallowest is found 
about 525 feet below the surface and about 125 feet above 
the top of the Big Lime. It is known as the McEwin sand 
and is about 30 feet thick, medium-grained and generally 
light in color. It is probably a lens in the Nowata shale. 
In some of the wells of the northern part of the pool a sand 
known as the Peru sand has proven productive of oil. This 
sand is about 20 feet thick and lies just below the Big Lime. 
Neither of these shallow sands has proven of great import¬ 
ance and in the early development were usually ignored in 
the effort to reach the deeper and more productive sands. 
Some fairly good wells have been brought in from both 
sands, however, and it is probable that as the deep sands 
are exhausted these shallow sands will prove worthy of de¬ 
velopment in view of the high price paid for oil in compari¬ 
son to the price in the early days of the pool. 

The Bartlesville is by far the most important oil-pro¬ 
ducing sand of the pool. Tt lies between .1,200 and 1,350 
feet below the surface and its top is about 350 feet below 
that of the Fort Scott (Oswego) limestone. The sand varies 
in thickness from 25 to 40 feet with some logs showing up 
to 60 feet. In character the sand is coarse, and light to 
brownish in color. The gas is usually present in the upper 
part of the sand. 

The Burgess sand is the most important gas sand of 
the pool. It lies a short distance above the Mississippi 
lime and about 150 feet below the Bartlesville sand. The 
sand seems to be persistent throughout most of the pool. 

The Dewey-Bartlesville pool was one of the first de¬ 
veloped in Oklahoma and has been a great producer ever 

since. It is now undoubtedly past its prime, but the inten- 

* 


98 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


sive development of the pool and the working of the shallow 
sands will undoubtedly prolong the life of the pool for years 
to come. 

The gas wells of this pool occur principally in the 
vicinity of Bartlesville and in a belt extending to the east 
and connecting with the Hogshooter pool. There are also 
several gassers in a belt extending north and south through 
Dewey. The initial capacity of several wells in this and the 
Hogshooter pool was determined as 15,850,000 cubic feet 
per day and the average pressure as 464 pounds. In Sep¬ 
tember, 1911, the average pressure was 219 pounds and the 
average capacity was 9,283,000 cubic feet. The wells 
have been drawn on for practically their full capacity and 
in view of this fact are holding up remarkably well. Many 
of them, however, are beginning to take water. 


The development of the greater portion of the Dewey- 
Bartlesville pool is shown in figure 26 and that of the north¬ 
ern part of the pool in figure 25 with that of the Copan and 
Wann pools. 


The following logs are typical of the pool: 


LOG OF WELL, ALBERT WHITETURKEY NO. 1, SEC. IS, T. 26 N., R. 13 E. 



Thickness, 

Feet. 

Depth, 

Feet. 


Thickness, 

Feet 

Depth, 

Feet. 

Shale. 

. 84 

84 

Oswego lime .... 

. 73 

873 

Lime (Dewey) 

. 30 

114 

Black slate . 

. 21 

893 

Sand and shale 

with 


Oil sand . 

. 19 

913 

limestone . . . 

.346 

460 

Sand and shale.. 

.245 

1158 

Lime (Lenapah) 
Sand and shale. 

. 30 

490 

Gas sand . 

. 7 

1165 

1195 

.104 

594 

Shale. 

. 30 

Big lime . 

. 70 

664 

Gas sand . 

85 

1280 

1310 

Sand and shale 

. 136 

800 

Oil sand . 

. 30 

LOG OF WELL, MINNIE 

OSAGE 

NO. 1, SEC. 9, T. 

26 N., R. 13 

E. 



Thickness, 

Depth, 


Feet. 

Feet. 

Clay. 

. 30 

30 

Lime (Dewey) .. 

. 30 

60 

Slate . 

.ISO 

240 

Sand . . . 

. 25 

265 

Slate. 

.235 

500 

Lime (Lenapah) 

.... 40 

640 

Slate. 

.130 

670 

Big lime . 

. 60 

730 

Slate . 

. 95 

825 

Sand. 

. 35 

860 



Thickness, 

Depth, 


Feet. 

Feet. 

Slate . 


875 

Oswego lime .... 

. 90 

965 

Slate. 

. 50 

1015 

Sand. 

. 25 

1040 

Slate . 

. 252 

1292 

Bartlesville sand 

.... 3 

1296 

Slcito. 

. 80 

1376 

Lime . . . 

. 5 

1380 

Slate. 

. 92 

1472 

Sond. 

. 3 

1475 

Mississippi lime 

.... at 

1475 


The well record and the initial production of the wells 
in the years for which statistics are available are shown in 
the following table: 







































R.I3E. 


DESCRIPTION OF THE OKLAHOMA FIELDS 99 



R.12E. R.I3E. R.I4E. 































































































100 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


WELL RECORD OF THE DEWEY-BARTLESVILLE POOL. 



Wells Completed 

Initial Production 

Year 

Total 

Oil 

Dry 

( Gas 

Total 

Average 

1900 

790 

606 

123 

61 



1909 

254 

238 

11 

5 

11,475 

42.2 

1910 

251 

232 

11 

8 

10,196 

43.9 

1911 

1SS 

165 

15 

8 

4,955 

30.2 


Hogshooter pool .—The Hogshooter pool includes a strip 
on both sides of Hogshooter Creek in the southeastern part 
of Washington County. The pool is about 12 miles long from 
north to south and from a fraction of a mile to about 4 
miles in width. Only the northwestern part of the pool is 
oil producing, the larger portion of the pool constituting 
one of the greatest gas fields in the State. The pool is prac¬ 
tically continuous with the Dewey-Bartlesville pool on the 
north and the general conditions are the same as for that 
^ool and the Copan pool. 

There are several productive sands. The highest is 
about 4*0 feet below the Big lime and is about 40 feet thick. 
The Bixler sand is just below the Oswego lime and varies 
from 5 to 50 feet in thickness. Neither of these sands has 
proven of much importance, although some oil has been ob¬ 
tained from both. The Peru (?) sand is about 200 feet 
below the top of the Fort Scott (Oswego) lime. The thick¬ 
ness shown in the logs is usually 30 to 40 feet, although as 
little as 10 feet is shown in some logs. The Bartlesville 
sand lies about 200 feet below the Peru sand or about 400 
feet below the Oswego lime. As in the other pools of the dis¬ 
trict this is the most important sand. The thickness is 
usually shown as 30 feet, but there is much variation in the 
logs. The Mississippi sand is reached by only a few of the 
wells. It produces principally gas. 

The condition of the gas field has already been consid¬ 
ered in connection with the Bartlesville field. Practically 
all the large gas companies have lines into the field and the 
wells are failing rather rapidly under the demands made 
upon them. The gas is piped to Bartlesville, Dewey, and 
Miami, Okla., for use in the smelters, cement plant, and 
mining camp, and to the principal cities in southeastern 
Kansas and to Joplin, St. Joseph, and Kansas City, Mo. 

The development of the Hogshooter pool is shown with 
that of the Adair pool of the Nowata district in figure 27. 





















T.24N. T.25N. T.26N. 



T.24N. T.25N. T.26N. 


























































102 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


The following log is typical of the Hogshooter pool: 


LOG OF 

WELL, JOHN LOWREY, 

JR., NO. 2, 

SEC. 6, T. 25 N., R. 

14 E. 


Thickness, 

Depth, 


Thickness, 

Depth. 


Feet. 

Feet. 


Feet. 

Feet. 

Clay . 

. 40 

40 

Lime .... 

. 35 

495 

Gravel ... 

. 4 

44 

Shale ... 

. 153 

648 

Shale .... 

. 46 

90 

Lime 

. 26 ' 

674 

Sand 

. 10 

mo 

Shale ... 

. 5 

679 

Shale .... 

. 108 

208 

Lime ... 

. 32 

711 

Sa/n d . 

. 12 

220 

Shale 

. 4 

715 

Shale .... 

. 80 

300 

Lime ... 

. 8 

723 

Lime . 

. 8 

308 

Sand .... 

. 40 

763 

Shale . 

. 112 

420 

Shale ... 

. 278 

1041 

Lime . 

. 28 

448 

Oil sand 

. 21 

1062 

Shale .... 

. 12 

460 

Shale ... 

. 17 

1079 


The well record and the initial production of the oil 
wells of the pool are shown in the following table: 

WELL RECORD OF THE HOGSHOOTER POOL. 



Wells Completed 

Initial Production 

Year 

Total 

Oil 

Dry 

Gas 

Total 

Average 

1909 

107 

71 

12 

24 

3750 

50.0 

1910 

155 

109 

8 

38 

5115 

46.9 

1911 

339 

192 

31 

116 

8795 

45.8 


THE TULSA DISTRICT. 

The Tulsa district includes the portion of Tulsa County 
north and east of Arkansas River and a small area in 
western Rogers County southeast of Collinsville. By far 
the greater part of the development is included in a dis¬ 
trict about 5 miles wide extending from Skiatook on the 
north to Tulsa on the south, a distance of about 13 miles. 
This district is usually divided into separate pools, the Skia¬ 
took, Bird Creek, Turley and Flat Rock, but, since the con¬ 
ditions are so similar in all of them, these pools are con¬ 
sidered together as the Bird Creek-Flat Rock pool in this 
book. Besides the Bird Creek-Flat Rock pool the other im¬ 
portant pool of the district is the Collinsville-Owasso gas 
pool which lies in Tulsa and Rogers counties southwest of 
Collinsville and northeast of Owasso. There are also a con¬ 
siderable number of gas wells in a belt extending south¬ 
west from Dawson to the east of Tulsa and in another belt 
extending west from Tulsa to Sand Springs. 

Bird Creek-Flat Rock pool ,—The Bird Creek-Flat Rock 
pool lies between Tulsa and Skiatook. Bird Creek flows from 
north to south through the pool and gives it its name. The 













































DESCRIPTION OF THE OKLAHOMA FIELDS 


103 


north end of the pool is often known as the Skiatook pool 
and the south part is known as the Flat Rock pool from the 
development along the creek of that name. The develop¬ 
ment in a northeast-southwest belt passing through the 
village of Turley is sometimes distinguished as the Tur¬ 
ley pool. The geologic conditions are practically the same 
as for the pools of the Nowata and Bartlesville districts. 
The wells are started very near the horizon of the limestone 
which has usually been called the Lenapah, but which has 
been found to be about 100 feet higher in the section than 
that limestone. The wells are thus started at the same 
horizon as those of the Red Fork and Glenn pools in the 
Sapulpa district to the south and a little lower than those 
of the Dewey-Bartlesville pools in the Bartlesville district 
to the north. The productive sands are encountered at a 
depth of about 1,000 to 1,200 feet. The number of logs 
available for study is too small to give any generalization 
as to number and thickness of productive sands, but from 
the geology of the region they should be about the same as 
in the Dewey-Bartlesville pool. The Bartlesville sand is the 
principal producer and is found at a depth of very nearly 
1,200 feet. 

The followings logs are believed to give a fairly accur¬ 
ate idea of the rocks encountered in drilling: 


LOG OF WELL, VIOLA B. THOMAS NO. 1. SEC. 7, T. 20 N., R. 13 E. 


Soil 


Slate 


Sand 


Lime 

Shale 



Thickness, 

Feet. 

. 20 

Depth, 

Feet. 

20 

Sand, water .... 

Thickness, 
Feet. 
. 75 

QO 

Depth, 

Feet. 

900 

990 

996 

1045 

white .... 

. 25 

45 

kjctllu cLIlU olltrllo. 

Stipl 1 s 

>5 


. 5 

50 

Sla te bla ek .... 

. 50 


. 60 

100 

Lime . 

. 10 

1055 


60 

160 

Slate, black . 

. 30 

1085 


.... 6 

169 

Shells . 

. 5 

1090 


.... 31 

200 

Shale . 


1125 


.... 50 

250 

Lime . 

. 25 

1150 

brown ... 

. 45 

295 

Slate, black . 

. 40 

1190 

. 5 

300 

Sand, water . 

. 70 

1260 

white . 

. 25 

325 

Lime . 

. 40 

1300 

. 110 

435 

Sand, water . 

. 30 

1330 


... 15 

450 

Slate . 

. 15 

1345 


. 10 

460 

Slate, black . 

. 20 

1366 

and shells. 

. 15 

475 

Lime, gray . 

. 10 

1375 

. 75 

650 

Sand (Burgess) 

. 10 

1385 


. 35 

685 

Sand, water — 

. 10 

1395 


. 80 

765 

Sand, black, water... 10 

1406 


10 

775 

Slate . 

. 110 

1515 

. 

and shells.. 

. 50 

825 

Sand and lime... 

. 5 

1520 
















































104 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


LOG OF WELL, SEC. 



Thickness, 

Depth, 


Feet. 

Feet. 

Soil . 

. 14 

14 

Lime, gritty .... 

. 25 

39 

Shale . 

.231 

270 

Lime (big) . 

. 130 

400 

Shale . 

. 167 

567 

Lime (Oswego) . 

. 48 

615 

Shale . 


670 


28, T. 21 N., R. 13 E. 



Thickness, 

Depth, 


Feet. 

Feet. 

Lime . 

. 15 

685 

Shale . 

. 211 

896 

Lime . 

. 10 

906 

Shale . 

. 152 

1058 

Sand, gas .... 

. 78 

1136 

Sand, oil . 

. 23 

1159 


The Bird Creek-Flat Rock pool was one of the earlier 
developments in the Cherokee Nation and has been pro¬ 
ductive of many large wells. The limits of the separate 
pools comprising the large pool have been well defined for 
some time and the development has been intensive rather 
than extensive. The present condition of the development 
is shown in figure 28. 

The well record and initial production of the wells of 
this pool in the years for which statistics are available 
are as follows: 


WELL RECORD OF THE BIRD CREEK-FLAT ROCK POOL. 



Bird Creek 

Flat Rock 


Wells Completed 

In. Prod. 

Wells Completed 

In. Prod. 

Year 

Total 

Oil 

Dry 

(Gas 

Total 

Av. 

Tot 

Oil 

Dry 

Gas 

Total 

Av. 

1909 

101 

78 

17 

6 

3,595 

46.1 

95 

89 

5 

1 

12,970 

145.7 

1910 

188 

165 

20 

3 

9,510 

57.6 

• • • • 

* • • . 

• • • • • 

• • • • • 

• •••••• 

• • • • • 

1911 

265 

233 

23 

9 

10,495 

45.0 

• • • • 

.... 

. 

. 


• • i • f 


Collinsville pool .—The Collinsville pool lies to the east 
of Bird Creek pool, along the line between Tulsa and Rog¬ 
ers counties. The general conditions are the same as for 
the former pool except that the wells start in the section a 
short distance above the Big Lime or Oolagah formation. 
Some oil is found, but the pool is far more important as a 
gas than as an oil producer. 

The gas wells are of large capacity, but usually not so 
large as those of the Hogshooter pool. A good share of 
the product is utilized by the large zinc smelters recently 
erected at Collinsville and by the brick plant there. The 
development is shown in figure 29. 




















































t.eon. Osage Co. T.2UM. 


R.I2EJ R.I3E. 



T.2IN. T.22N. 





















































T.2IN. T.22N. 














































DESCRIPTION OF THE OKLAHOMA FIELDS 


107 


The following log of a well in the Owasso pool gives an 
idea of the rocks encountered in drilling: 


LOG OF WELL, ANDREAS LEERSKOW NO. 3, N. % NE. %. SEC 30, 

T. 21 N.. R. 14 E. 



Thickness, 

Depth, 


Thickness, 

Depth, 


Feet. 

Feet. 


Feet. 

Feet. 

Soil . 

. 14 

14 

Lime (?) . 

. 30 

530 

Slate . 

. 21 

35 

Slate . 

. 80 

610 

Lime (Big) . 

. 100 

135 

Lime . 

. 10 

620 

Slate . 

. 225 

360 

Shale . 

.242 

862 

Lime (Oswego) . 

. 30 

390 

Sand and gas... 

. 14 

876 

Slate . 

.\ 110 

500 

Slate, black .... 

. 15 

891 


THE SAPULPA DISTRICT. 

The Sapulpa district includes the Glenn pool and some 
smaller outlying pools near Jenks, Red Fork, Taneha, Kel- 
levville, and Mounds. The conditions throughout the pool 
are very similar and a discussion of the Glenn pool applies 
to the smaller pools so far as the number, thickness and 
character of sands is concerned. 

The Glenn pool .—The Glenn pool is one of the great¬ 
est oil producing areas in the world. It was opened by a 
well drilled by Galbreath and Colcord in the summer of 
1906. Development was very rapid and the pool soon 
became a phenomenal producer. The older wells of the pool 
have decreased greatly in production, but the pool has been 
extended and the total production is still very great, al¬ 
though it has receded considerably from its maximum 
and the pool is undoubtedly past its prime. 

The pool lies to the east of Sapulpa. It has a width of 
about 4 miles and a length of about 8 miles. The greater 
part of the pool lies in the eastern parts of Tps. 17 and 18 
N., R. 12 E. 

The wells of the pool are started at or near the horizon 
of a limestone which has usually been correlated with the 
Lenapah of the region to the north of the Arkansas, but 
which is probably 100 feet higher in the section than the 
Lenapah. This limestone, known to the drillers as the 
Checkerboard limestone, outcrops through the pool so that 
the wells in the eastern portion are started below the lime¬ 
stone and those in the western portion as much as 100 feet 
above the limestone. 


















108 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


Several sands are encountered in the wells of the 
Glenn pool and different ones of these are productive in 
different parts of the pool and in the outlying pools. The 
number of logs studied is not sufficiently large to make 
very definite statements, but those studied agree fairly 
well and indicate the following conclusions: 

(1) . Two shallow sands lie above the main producing 
sands. One of these is found at a depth of about 800 to 850 

feet below the surface and the other about 100 feet lower. 

/ 

Both of these sands show some oil and gas locally, but are 
not important producers. 

(2) . The Red Fork sand is recorded at depths of 
from 1,275 feet to 1,400 feet. The thickness varies from 10 
to 30 feet. This sand is an important producer, although 
it falls far short of the Glenn sand in this respect. 

(3) . The Glenn sand is the great producer of both 
oil and gas. It is reported at depths of from 1,400 to 1,550 
feet with majority of the logs showing its upper surface 
between 1,450 and 1,500 feet. The thickness as shown in 
the logs varies greatly in short distances, the extremes 
noted being 10 to 124 feet. Much of this apparent varia¬ 
tion is due to the fact that many of the wells stopped be¬ 
fore reaching the bottom of the sands, although there is al¬ 
most certainly considerable variation in the thickness. The 
gas is usually found in the upper portion of the sand and 
the oil lower down. A strong flow of salt water is often 
encountered at the bottom of the sand. This sand is cor¬ 
related with the Bartlesville sand of the pools farther 
north by many of the drillers. 

(4) . A few logs show a sand which is called only the 
stray sand at a depth of about 1,650 feet. The thickness is 
recorded as 35 to 40 feet. 

(5) . The Taneha (Squaw) sand is encountered at 
about 1,750 feet. The thickness varies from 10 to 50 feet. 

(6) . The Sapulpa sand is shown in the logs of some 
of the deeper wells. The depth is about 2,350 feet and the 
thickness 10 to 40 feet. 

The structure of the Glenn pool has not been worked 
out. The area has been examined several times in a hasty 
way and no sharp structure can be seen. It is thought that 


tj?n ; 









































































































































































. 311 . 



M 8> ,T 



































































DESCRIPTION OF THE OKLAHOMA FIELDS 


109 


the accumulation may be due to the great thickness of the 
sands at this locality and not to folding. The variation of 
the thickness of the Glenn sand in particular is extreme, 
and Hutchinson (Bull. Okla. Geol. Survey No. 2) states 
that a series of carefully kept logs extending across the 
pool shows that the sand thins rather rapidly in both di¬ 
rections from the middle of the pool. This sort of a body 
of sand would give the arched effect of an anticline without 
revealing itself at the surface. (See figure 9). 

The average initial production of the Glenn pool can¬ 
not be given accurately for the years previous to 1909, since 
the statistics are combined for the whole Creek Nation. 
The average of the Glenn pool was undoubtedly higher than 
that of the whole Creek Nation, which was 383.2 barrels in 
1906, 277.9 barrels in 1907, and 146.1 barrels in 1908. The 
average initial production of the pool proper in 1909 was 78 
barrels, and in 1910 was 62.6 barrels. 

The development of the pool and its northern exten¬ 
sion is shown in figure 30. 

The following logs show the conditions in the Glenn 
pool as recorded by the drillers. The first Jog is of a well 
to the east of the main part of the pool and the second of a 
well in the Taneha pool to the north and west of the main 
pool: 


LOG Op WELL, LIZZIE COSER NO. 13, SEC. 13, T. 17 N., R. 12 E. 


Thickness, Depth 
Feet. Feet. 


Soil . 12 12 

Slate . 88 100 

Sand . 30 130 

Slate . 40 170 

Sand . 30 200 

Slate . 390 590 

Lime . 25 615 

Slate . 55 670 

Lime . 35 705 

Shale . 115 820 


Thickness, Depth : 



Feet. 

Feet 

Lime (Oswego?) .... 

25 

845 

Shells . 

30 

875 

Shale . 

96 

971 

Sand .. 

44 

1015 

Shale . 

215 

1230 

Sand (Red Fork).... 

25 

1255 

Brown shale . 

92 

1347 

White shale . 

28 

1375 

Stray sand . 

55 

1430 

Gas sand (Glenn)... 

30 

1460 

Oil sand (Glenn). 

32 

1492 
























110 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


LOG OF WELL, ALVIN G. LAND, SEC. 1. T. 18 N., R. II E. 



Thickness, 

Depth, 


Thickness, 

Depth, 


Feet. 

Feet. 


Feet. 

Feet. 

Soil 

10 

10 

Shale . 

.... 25 

1000 

Shale . 

.230 

240 

Lime .. 

.... 10 

1010 

Lime . 

. 5 

245 

Shale . 

.... 65 

1075 

Shale 

15 

260 

Sand . 

.... 20 

1095 

Sand . 

. 40 

300 

Shale . 

.... 75 

1170 

Sha le 

90 

390 

Sand . 

.... 30 

1200 

Sand 

10 

400 

Shale . 

.... 125 

1325 

STl £fe.lA 

300 

700 

Sand . 

. 25 

1350 

Lime . 

. 50 

750 

Sand and shells. 

.... 40 

1390 

Shale . 

. 110 

860 

Shale . 

.... 70 

1460 

Lime . 

. 40 

900 

Sand (oil) . 

.... 10 

1470 

Lime shells .. 

. 25 

925 

Shale . 

. 190 

1660 

Sand . 

. 50 

976 

Sand . 

. 44 

1704 


1,000,000 cubic feet of gas at 1360. 


The well record for the Sapulpa district, including the 
Glenn, Mounds, Red Fork, Sapulpa, and Taneha pools, since 
1909, is given in the following table. During these years 
the Taneha pool, the northern extension of the Glenn, has 
been the most active and has furnished over three-fourths 
of the development. The Mounds and Sapulpa pools are 
credited with no development in 1910. 


WELL RECORD OF SAPULPA DISTRICT. 



Wells Completed 

Initial Production 

Year 

Total 

Oil 

Dry 

Gas 

Total 

Average 

1909 

472 

422 

39 

11 

49,555 

117.4 

1910 

391 

357 

21 

13 

36,575 

102.5 

1911 

223 

184 

37 

2 

16,566 

90.3 


The total production of the Glenn pool by months 
since its opening is shown in the following table: 


TABLE SHOWING THE PRODUCTION OF THE GLENN POOL BY 

MONTHS. 


Month 

1907 

1908 

1909 

1910 

1911 

January . 

385,939 

1,796,461 

1,362,60(2 

1,745,206 

1,099,192 

February . 

572,414 

1,897,054 

1,410,878 

1,543,660 

967,924 

March . 

1,084,636 

2,098,411 

1,543,463 

1,974,514 

2,584,464 

April . 

1,716,079 

1,968,761 

1,467,179 

1,674,709 

1,570,947 

May . 

1,923,926 

1,630,111 

1,590,730 

1,676,366 

1,069,863 

June . 

1,971,387 

1,051,045 

1,809,989 

1,573,578 

958,519 

July . 

1,922,387 

1.914,134 

1,856.524 

1,557,869 

965,122 

August . 

2,003,607 

1,770,819 

1,699,486 

1,609,702 

981,946 

September . 

2,309,205 

1,639,252 

1,670,167 

1,593,986 

937,886 

October . 

2,441,662 

1,832,033 

1,602,988 

1,521,794 

969,247 

November . 

1,971,595 

1,404,234 

1.539,342 

1,400,118 

864,519 

December . 

1,625,127 

1,491,998 

1,393,392 

365,412 

910,489 

Total . 

19,926,995 

20,494,313 

18,946,740 

19,236,914 

13,880,118 



















































































DESCRIPTION OF THE OKLAHOMA FIELDS 


111 


OKMULGEE DISTRICT. 

The Okmulgee district includes Okmulgee County. 
There are several pools as follows: Morris, Bald Hill, 
Hamilton Switch or Preston, Beggs, Henryetta-Schulter, 
and small pools in the vicinity of Okmulgee, one to the 
southeast and others to the west in the southwest part of 
the county. The geology of the county has never been 
worked in detail and the rocks cannot be discussed under 
formation names. It is, however, almost certain that the 
wells in practically all of the pools begin at a horizon some¬ 
what below that of the Fort Scott (Oswego) lime to the 
north. The rocks of the region consist of sandstones and 
shales, probably the equivalents of the upper part of the 
Cherokee shale. Some heavy limestones are reported in 
the logs of some of the wells, but since none are known to 
outcrop to the eastward there seems to be some mistake in 
the records or else the limestones are lenses which do not 
outcrop. 

Bald Hill pool .—The Bald Hill pool lies in the southern 
part of T. 15 N., R. 14 E. The general conditions are very 
similar to those of the Morris pool to the south except that 
the wells are believed to be started at a somewhat higher 
horizon. The oil is a dark green color and tests 33 to 34 
degrees Baume. The base is a mixed paraffin and asphalt 
with the paraffin predominating. None of the statistics 
for this pool are given separately. 

Morris pool .—The Morris pool is situated southeast of 
the town of Morris in the extreme southeastern part of 
Okmulgee County. The wells are started about the hori¬ 
zon of the Fort Scott (Oswego) limestone of the area to 
the north of the Arkansas and are 1,500 fbet or more in 
depth. This probably brings the production from near the 
base of the Pennsylvanian rocks of this vicinity. Develop¬ 
ment in this field has been fairly constant since 1906 when 
the first well to the southeast of the town was brought in. 
The pool is spotted and both oil and gas wells occur irregu¬ 
larly distributed. The percentage of dry holes is somewhat 
higher than the average. The oil tests from 35 to 37 de¬ 
grees Baume and is high in paraffin with little or no as¬ 
phalt. The development of the pool is shown in figure 31. 


T.I3N. 


112 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


R.13E. 





The well record of the Morris-Okmulgee pool since 
1909 as given by the United States Geological Survey is 
shown in the following table. This record probably in¬ 
cludes the pool between Morris and Okmulgee and possi¬ 
bly the small pools to the west of Okmulgee: 

WELL RECORD OF THE MORRIS-OKMULGEE POOL. 



Wells Completed 

Initial Production 

Year 

Total 

Oil 

Dry 

Gas 

Total 

Average 

1909 

39 

14 

22 

3 

2010 

143.6 

1910 

84 

54 

25 

7 

5865 

108.6 

1911 

114 

78 

23 

13 

6970 

89.4 






































































DESCRIPTION OF THE OKLAHOMA FIELDS 


113 


The following log is given by Hutchison as typical of 
the Morris pool: 


WELL IN MORRIS FIELD, SW.y 4 SEC. 5, T. 13 N., R. 14 E. 



Thickness, 

Depth, 



Thickness, 

Depth 


Feet. 

Feet. 



Feet. 

Feet. 

Conductor . 

.... 18 

18 

Shale .... 


. 85 

782 

Shale . 

.... 4 

22 

Lime .... 


. 80 

862 

Coa 1 . 

.... 3 

25 

Sand . 



962 

Shale . 

. 100 

125 

Lime .... 


. 29 

991 

Sand . 

. 12 

137 

Shale 


.257 

1248 

Shale . 

. 45 

182 

Sand .... 


. 20 

1268 

Sand and shale. 

.... 30 

212 

Shale .... 


.307 

1575 

Shale . 

.... 215 

427 

Oil sand (show of oil) 20 

1595 

Lime . 

. 10 

437 

Shale .... 


.110 

1705 

Shale . 

. 250 

687 

Sand and 

lime 

with 


Sand . 

. 10 

697 

show of 

oil.... 

. 73 

1778 


Gas appeared at 1757 feet and increased to bottom of hole. Later the 
well was sunk to a depth of 1800 feet and the sand was still present. 

Preston pool .—The Preston pool lies in the bend of 
the Frisco Railroad just west of Preston (Hamilton 
Switch), principally in sec. 2, T. 14 N., R. 12 E. The pool 
was opened in 1909 and for a time attracted great atten¬ 
tion as oil wells of 1,000 barrels initial production and gas 
wells of 36,000,000 to 40,000,000 cubic feet capacity were 
brought in. Development was very active and the limits 
of the pool were spon defined. The area is only about 1 
square mile and later drilling has not succeeded in extend¬ 
ing it. Several wells to the southeast of the main develop¬ 
ment are considered as part of the same pool in the above 
statement. 

The general conditions in this pool are the same as in 
the Morris pool. The structure of the vicinity has not been 
worked out. The following log gives the conditions as re¬ 
corded by the drillers: 


LOG OF WELL, ALEX. PRESTON NO. 1, SEC. 11, T. 14 N., R. 12 E. 



Thickness, 

Depth, 


Thickness, 

Depth, 

■ 

Feet. 

Feet. 


Feet. 

Feet. 

Soil . 

. 15 

15 

Black slate . 

... 35 

960 

QL ol 1 

. 110 

125 

White slate . 

... 10 

970 

White slate ... 

. 190 

315 

Brown sand . 

.. 540 

1020 

Black slate ... 

... 38 

353 

White slate . 

Black slate . 

... 170 
... 20 

1190 

1215 

White slate .. 


525 

White slate . 

...105 

1320 

Black slate ... 

. 10 

535 

Black slate . 

... 65 

1385 

White slatd ... 

. 115 

650 

Sand (oil and gas) 

... 165 

1550 

Lime . 

. 12 

662 

Ttlnek slate . 

... 30 

1680 

White slate ... 

. 8 

670 

White slate . 

...120 

1700 

Lime 

. 20 

690 

Black slate . 

... 43 

1743 

Black slate ... 

. 65 

755 

Oil sand . 

... 9 

1752 


85 

840 

Slate . 


2020 

Brown sand ... 

. 75 

915 

Gas sand . 

... 15 

2035 

White slate ... 

. 10 

925 

Oil sand . 

... 3 

2038 




























































R.I3E. o loca/ionorDr////hg . 

/fbancforteci. p Dry Ho/e. • Proof uc//?g. 
6 a 5 r — Pipe line. 


114 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


The well record of the Preston pool since 1909 is given 
in the following table: 

WELL. RECORD OF THE PRESTON POOL. 



Wells Completed 

Initial Production 

Year 

Total 

Oil 

Dry 

Gas 

Total ‘ 

Average 

1909 

9 

8 


1 

2,300 

287.5 

1910 

97 

68 

22 

7 

13,540 

199.1 

1911 



' 












Beggs pool .—The pool at Begg# is located about 2 
miles south of the town and 2 miles west of the Preston 
pool. The conditions are almost precisely similar to those 
of the Preston pool. 



Fig., 32.—Development of the Henryetta-Schulter pool. 

Henryetta-Schulter pool .—The Henryetta-Schulter pool 
lies in T. 12 N., R. 13 E., beginning about 1 mile south¬ 
east of Sehulter and extending southeast for about 6 miles 
with an average width of about one-half mile. The wells 
are from 1,200 to 1,500 feet or more in depth. The pro¬ 
duction is reported at from 200 to 500 barrels. The condi¬ 
tions are in general the same as for the other pools in the 
Okmulgee district and need not be described in detail. The 
development is shown in figure 32. 


RISE. 
















































DESCRIPTION OF THE OKLAHOMA FIELDS 


115 


MUSKOGEE DISTRICT. 

The Muskogee district includes only the Muskogee 
pool and a small gas pool southwest of Wainwright. The 
latter pool consists of only a few gas wells and is of little 
importance. 

Muskogee pool. —The Muskogee pool extends south¬ 
west from the city, between the M., O. & G. and M., K. & T. 
railways, for a distance of about 6 miles. The wells of the 
pool start about the top of the Ft. Scott (Oswego) lime of 
the Nowata and Bartlesville districts. The wells in the 
northeastern part of the pool, near the townsite, reach the 
productive sand at a depth of between 1,000 and 1,100 
feet. The occurrences in the southwestern part of the pool 
are very erratic, some wells being over 1,000 feet deep and 
others striking good pay at considerably less depth. In 
any case, however, the wells extend beyond the depth which 
should carry them through the Pennsylvanian rocks ac¬ 
cording to the thickness given by Taff in the Muskogee 
folio and should penetrate the Mississippi lime. The logs 
do not indicate that this is true, as all the rocks encountered 
in the lower parts of the wells are sandstones and shales. 
It is probable that the actual thickness of the Winslow is 
greater in this region than the thickness obtained by Taff 
by measuring across the outcrop. 

The development of the pool began on the townsite in 
1904 and a small pool was outlined. This pool, known as 
the townsite pool, was soon exhausted and the wells aban¬ 
doned. The development to the southwest began in 1906 
and has been fairly constant ever since. The field is very 
spotted and the percentage of dry wells is rather high. 
There are also many gas wells irregularly distributed 
through the field. The well record of the pool since 1909 
is as follows: 


WELL RECORD OF MUSKOGEE POOL. 



Wells Completed 

Initial Production 

Year 

Total 

Oil 

Dry 

Gas 

Total 

Average 

1909 

129 

79 

41 

9 

3,246 

104.4 

1910 

171 

123 

43 

5 

16,640 

136.3 

1911 

117 

81 

34 

2 

6,965 

86.0 



















NSl'i ’Ntt’l 


116 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


The development of the field is shown in figure 33. 



The following logs are representative of conditions 
encountered in drilling. The first log is that of the first 
well drilled in the old or townsite pool and the second is a 
well in the newer development to the southwest: 


LOG OF WELL IN OLD TOWNSITE FIELD, MUSKOGEE POOL. 



Thickness, 

Depth, 


Thickness, 

Depth. 


Feet. 

Feet. 


Feet. 

Feet. 

Soil . 

.... 15 

15 

Shale . 

. 20 

760 

Brown sand . 

.... 10 

25 

Salt water sand. 

.... 15 

775 

Clay and gravel.. 

.... 35 

60 

Shale . 

.... 15 

790 

Shale . 

.... 40 

100 

Shale . 

. 75 

865 

Sand and salt water 20 

120 

Sand (smelled of 

oil) 10 

875 

Shale . 

.... 100 

220 

Dark shale . 

.... 100 

975 

Soapstone . 

.... 230 

450 

Black shale and 

• 


Shale and shells. 

.... 10 

460 

limestone . 

. 15 

990 

Sand . 

.... 40 

600 

Shale . 

. 35 

1025 

Gray shale . 

.... 100 

600 

Limestone . 

. 25 

1050 

Salt wfltfir sand.. 

.... 90 

690 

Sand . 

. 5 

1055 

Shale . 

.... 40 

730 

Blue slate . 

. 20 

1075 

Sand and lime — 

.... 10 

740 

Sand shale . 

. 25 

1100 


Drilled to 1100 feet and quit with a full flow of salt water. 


T.I4-N. T.1SN. 








































































DESCRIPTION OF THE OKLAHOMA FIELDS 


117 


■LOG OF WELL, SARAH PERRYMAN NO. 2, SEC. 8, T. 14 N. R 18 E 



Thickness, 

Depth, 


Feet. 

Feet. 

Slate . 


320 

Lime? . 


340 

Slate .. 


470 

Lime . 


485 

Slate . 


725 

Tire . 

. 15 

740 

Slate . 


825 

Broken sand ... 

. 25 

850 

Slate . 


1170 

Lime, hard _ 

. 45 

1215 

Slate . 


1230 ' 

Lime, hard .... 

. 15 

1245 

Slate . 

. 30 

1275 

Sand, water ., 

. 30 

1305 

Slate . 

. 85 

1390 



Thickness, 

Depth, 


Feet. 

Feet. 

Sand . 


1395 

Slate . 


1435 

Lime . 

. 50 

1485 

Sand . 


1515 

Slate . 

. 65 

1580 

Lime . 

. 20 

1600 

Shale . 

. 5 

1605 

Lime, sandy . 

. 13 

1618 

Slate . 

. 10 

1628 

Sand . 

. 24 

1652 

Slate . 

. 5 

1657 

Sand . 

. 4 

1661 

Slate . 

. 13 

16S4 

Sand . 

. 16 

1700 


OSAGE DISTRICT. 

The Osage district includes all of Osage County except 
a narrow strip along the eastern border, which forms part 
of the Bartlesville-Dewey oil and gas pool and has been 
discussed in connection with the Bartlesville district. The 
rocks of the district are shales and sandstone of the upper 
part of the Pennsylvanian system. The structure is mono- 
clinal with a dip of about 30 feet to the mile to the west¬ 
ward. This dip is known to be interrupted locally by small 
folds, but it cannot be said as to whether or not the fold¬ 
ing controls the accumulation of the oil and gas. The 
greater part of the county was surveyed by the United 
States Geological Survey in 1909, but the results of the 
survey have not been published and the results are not 
accessible to the public. Very little can be said as to the 
details of the stratigraphy or structure. 

The greater part of the development is in the eastern 
one-third of the county and is continuous with that of the 
Bartlesville district to the east. Besides the strip along 
the Osage-Washington County line which has already been 
mentioned as belonging to the Dewey-Bartlesville pool, the 
largest pool is the Avant-Ochelata pool lying between the 
towns from which it is named. The second largest pool is 
at Osage Junction immediately across Arkansas River 
from the Cleveland pool in Pawnee County. Small pools 
have been discovered northwest of Tulsa, between Big 
Heart, and Pawhuska, and in the northeastern part of the 
county just south of Chautauqua Springs, Kans. 









































118 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


From its beginning the development in Osage County 
has been seriously retarded by leasing restrictions and 
regulations imposed by the Department of the Interior. 

In 1896 a blanket lease was granted covering the en¬ 
tire Osage Nation. This was renewed in 1906 to extend 
for another ten years. The company controlling this lease 
has done little or no drilling as a company, although many 
of the individual members own production in Osage County. 
The development has been accomplished by subleasing to 
oil operators. In order to facilitate the letting of leases 
the company divided that portion of the county adjacent 
to the Bartlesville-Tulsa development into lots, one-half 
mile wide by three miles long, extending east and west, 
except those lots which occur south of Township 29 north, 
and east of range 11 east, which are three and one-half 
miles in length. The lots are numbered, beginning at the 
northeast corner of the county, in consecutive order from 
that point southward to the southern boundary, thence 
northward on the second tier to the State line and again , 
southward on the third tier. Hence a detailed discussion 
of the region usually refers to Osage County by lots. 

The Department of the Interior has from time to time 
imposed regulations on these lessees and sublessees that 
have materially retarded the development of the district 
and the regulations now in force are such as to prohibit 
development in territory which has not previously been 
shown to be promising. Only a comparatively small part 
of the Osage territory has been well prospected and when 
the restrictions are removed there will undoubtedly be a 
large amount of prospecting and considerable development 
in the region. 

The statistics of production and the well record for 
the Osage have been kept separately and are given at the 
end of this section. The production of the strip along the 
eastern border, which Torms a part of the Dewey-Bartles- 
ville field, is included in these tables as well as that of the 
Avant-Ochelata pool, the Osage Junction pool and the 
various small pools. 

Avant-Ochelata pool .—The Avant-Ochelata pool ex¬ 
tends north and east from Avant to Ochelata. The south- 


R. IIE. o Location or Drilling. P Abandoned, p Dry tto/e . - R. IE E - + Gas. 


DESCRIPTION OF THE OKLAHOMA FIELDS 


119 


ern part of the pool is very narrow not exceeding one-half 
mile in width. The main portion is an irregularly shaped 
area lying from 3 to 8 miles west of Ramona, from which 
place the pool is sometimes known as the Ramona pool. 



The area of this portion is about 15 square miles. The de¬ 
velopment is shown in figures 34 and 35. 


RUE. R.I2E. 






































































location or Dn/tihg. P Abandonee/. p Dry f/o/e R.I2 + Gas • Proof veer. 


120 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


The conditions in this pool are very similar to those 
of the Bartlesville pool except that they are started some- 



Fig. 35 — Development cf south part of the Avant-Ochelata pool. 








































































DESCRIPTION OF THE OKLAHOMA FIELDS 


121 


what higher in the section. The majority of the wells are 
started very near the horizon of the Avant limestone, a 
lens in the Wilson formation. The following log is be¬ 
lieved to be typical of the conditions in the pool: 


LOG OF WELL, BARNSDALL OIL CO. NO. 8, OSAGE LOT NO. 71, ABOUT 

TWO MILES NORTHEAST OF AVANT. 



Thickness, 

Depth, 


Thickness, 

Depth, 


Feet. 

Feet. 


Feet. 

Feet. 

Soil . 


20 

Slate . 

.120 

980 

Slate . 

. 40 

60 

Oswego lime 

. 60 

1040 

Lime . 


100 

Shale . 

. 100 

1140 

Shale . 


340 

Slate . 

. 40 

1180 

Sand . 

. 50 

390 

Shale . 

. 222 

1402 

'Shale . 


560 

Sand . 

. 20 

1422 

Lime . 


668 

Sand, gas ... 

. 48 

1470 

Shale . 

. 192 

760 

Shale 

. 9 

1479 

Lime . 

. 20 

780 

Sand, pay oil 

. 21 

1500 

Shale . 


800 

Sand . 

. 36 

1536 

Big- lime. 

. 60 

860 

(Water at 

1515) 



Osage Junction pool .—This pool lies directly across 
Arkansas River from the Cleveland pool in Pawnee County 
and all the conditions so far as known are precisely the 
same as in that pool. The development is shown in figure 
36 with that of the Cleveland pool. 

Other pools .—The first well in the Osage was drilled 
south of Chautauqua Springs, Kans., and a small pool was 
later developed in‘this locality in the extreme northeastern 
part of the county. The development is directly west of 
the Canary pool and except for the wells starting higher 
in the section, the conditions are the same. 

A small pool to the northwest of Tulsa is practically 
the westward extension of the Turley and Flat Rock pools 
of the Tulsa district and the description of these pools ap¬ 
plies to the pool in Osage County. 

Other small pools have been opened at Big Heart, 
Nelagony, Pawhuska, Wynona, east of Hominy, and about 
5 miles northeast of the Osage Junction pool, but so far 
these have proved to be of little importance. The Pawhus¬ 
ka pool is principally a gas producer. 

Very little prospecting has been done in the western 
part of Osage County, although the occurrence of oil and 
gas in commercial quantities at Ponca City in Kay County 
to the west shows that the territory is at least worthy of 
investigation. 




























122 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


The well record for Osage County since 1904 is given 
in the following table: 


WELL RECORD FOR OSAGE COUNTY, 1904 TO 1911. 



• 

Wells Completed 


Initial Production 

Year 

Total 

Oil 

Dry 

Gas 

Total 

Average 

1994 

361 

243 

97 

21 



1905 

482 

359 

107 

16 

36,423 

101.5 

1906 

262 

215 

30 

17 

20,047 

93.2 

1907 

184 

154 

15 

15 

16,355 

106.2 

1908 

153 

129 

16 

8 

19,377 

150.2 

1909 

108 

75 

15 

18 

10,205 

136.1 

1910 

239 

206 

25 

8 

35,060 

170.2 

1911 

494 

438 

40 

16 

89,660 

204.7 


The production of Osage County is given by years in 
the following table: 


1903 

1904 

1905 
1900 
1907 


PRODUCTION OF OSAGE COUNTY, 1903-1911. 


Barrels 


56,905 

1908 

652,479 

1909 

3,421,478 

1910 

5,219,106 

1911 

5,143,971 



Barrels 

4,961,147 

4,516,524 

5,892,970 

11,707,676 


PAWNEE COUNTY DISTRICT. 

The development in Pawnee County is in the extreme 
northeast part near Cleveland, and is known as the 
Cleveland held or pool. The development of this pool be¬ 
gan rather early in the history of the oil industry of the 
State and, with some halts, has continued until the present. 
The early development was in the town of Cleveland and 
the immediate vicinity and the more recent has been to the 
south and southeast of the town. 

The rocks of the region consist of sandstones and 
shales of the upper part of the Pennsylvanian system and 
the wells are started near the horizon of the Elgin sand¬ 
stone. The production is from sands at about the same 
level as the sands of the pools farther north and east and 
also from sands higher in the section. 

The following description of the pool about the end of 
1909 is given by Hutchinson in Bulletin No. 2 of the Okla¬ 
homa Geological Survey: 

The first well drilled was on the Bill Lowery farm, just south of 
the townsite and was known as “Uncle Bill No. 1.” The enterprise 
was promoted by local capital and resulted in a paying well at 1615 
feet. Development followed rapidly and almost every town lot was 

































DESCRIPTION OF THE OKLAHOMA FIELDS 


123 


soon drilled. The city council had to pass an ordinance forbidding the 
drilling of wells on the rear ends of business lots on Main Street. 
The principal part of the field was found south of the town in sec¬ 
tions 16 and 17, although sections 18, 20 and 29 have also proved 
profitable territory. 

Two sands were discovered, known as the Cleveland sand and 
Kelso sand. The Kelso sand, found on the Kelso farm southwest of 
Cleveland, is above the Cleveland sand and in the early development 
of the Kelso pool drilling ceased on reaching that horizon. Owing to 
the fact that at the time operations began in the Cleveland pool there 
was no law fixing the minimum distance at which oil wells should be 
drilled, development in this field resulted in great waste to operators. 
Wells were often drilled on adjacent town lots, so near each other that 
there was hardly room to build the rigs. In such cases many wells 
were soon exhausted and casings pulled without having repaid the 
initial cost. Perhaps nearly one-half the wells on the -townsite have 
already been abandoned. 

The limits of the pool have been pretty well defined, for several 
years by a series of dry holes drilled around its margin. The rock 
pressure has decreased to considerable extent, but the field is still a 
good steady paying one. 

During the year 1909 there were 21 wells drilled in the Cleveland 
field only one of which was dry and but two produced gas. The other 
eighteen were oil wells with an initial production of 1095 barrels daily. 

Since 1909 the development has carried the field far¬ 
ther to the southwest. The finding of deeper productive 
sands has, however, been the principal factor in prolonging 
the life of the field. The productive sands of the pool and 
their depths from the surface are given by Robt. H. Wood 
in Bulletin 531 B. of the U. S. Geol. Survey as follows: 


PRODUCING OIL SANDS IN THE CLEVELAND FIELD. 


Sand .. 

. 500 

Sand . . - -, r. 

. 1000 

T.nvtfin . 

. 1300 


.1400-1500 

PlAVPland .. 

.1570-1700 

Slfinnpr . 

. 2200 

'RQrflPQvillp . 

. 2400 

Tucker or Meadows. 

.2600-2800 


The sands mentioned above, however, are not found in all the wells and 
where encountered are not always productive. 


The well record of the field is given in the following 
table: 


WELL RECORD OF THE CLEVELAND OIL AND GAS FIELD, 1908-1912. 


Year 

Wells Completed 

Total 

Oil | 

Dry 

Gas 

1908 

22 

14 

7 

1 

1909 

28 

23 

3 

2 

1910 

13 

10 

2 

1 

1911 

165 

129 

31 

5 


Initial Production 


Total 


Average 


455 

1,865 

713 

22,100 


32.5 

81.1 

71.3 

171.3 































T.20N. T.2IN. 


124 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 



Fig. 36.—Development of the Cleveland and Osage Junction pools. 


T.20N. . T.2IN 





























































DESCRIPTION OF THE OKLAHOMA FIELDS 


125 


The following log illustrates the conditions encoun¬ 
tered in drilling to the shallower sands. No logs of the 
deeper wells are available: 


LOG OF WELL ON CLEVELAND TOW T NSITE. 


Thickness, Depth, 



Feet. 

Feet 

Red shale . 

180 

180 

White sandstone .... 

25 

205 

Red shale . 

35 

240 

White sandstone .... 

25 

265 

Red shale . 

195 

460 

Limestone . 

25 

485 

White sandstone .... 

10 

495 

Red shale . 

39 

634 

Limestone and sand- 



stone . 

8 

542 

Red shale . 

28 

570 

White sandstone .... 

25 

595 



Thickness, 

Depth 


Feet. 

Feet. 

Red shale . 

.... 5 

600 

White sandstone 

... 100 

700 

Black shale . 

.... 100 

800 

White sandstone 

.... 20 

820 

Black slate . 

.... 200 

1020 

Gray sandstone . 

.... 195 

1215 

Black slate . 

.... 125 

1340 

Gray sandstone . 

.... 15 

1355 

Black slate . 

.... 215 

1570 

Oil sand . 

.... 20 

1590 

Gray sandstone . 

.... 15 

1606 

Second oil sand.. 

.... 10 

1615 


Some drilling has been done in Pawnee County out¬ 
side of the Cleveland pool, but so far has met with little 
success. Several wells were drilled near Hallett and Jen¬ 
nings to the west of Cleveland and some oil and gas were 
found, but not in sufficient quantity to be of importance. 
Two wells were drilled near Pawnee and were dry, but 
neither was carried deep enough to reach any but the shal¬ 
lowest sands of the Cleveland field, so that the country can¬ 
not be regarded as being condemned. Wells have also 
been drilled at Maramec, Blackburn (2) and Ralston. The 
wells at Ralston and one at Blackburn were carried to con¬ 
siderable depths,, probably to the Mississippi lime and had 
good showings of oil and gas. Good sands were encounter¬ 
ed in these wells and the indications were good, although 
the wells themselves were abandoned and plugged. The log 
of the well at Blackburn is given by Wood, in the publica¬ 
tion referred to above, as follows: 























126 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


LOG OF WELL AT BLACKBURN. 


Thickness, Depth. 


Feet. 

Feet 

Clay, yellow, soft. 

10 

10 

Mud, red, soft. 

10 

20 

Lime, black, hard — 

12 

32 

Shale, blue, soft. 

Sand, white, soft 

15 

47 

(water) . 

15 

62 

Mud, red, soft. 

10 

72 

Lime, white, hard.... 

5 

77 

Red rock, soft. 

Sand, white, soft 

35 

112 

(water) . 

28 

140 

Shale, white, soft — 

6 

146 

Lime, white, hard— 

36 

182 

Red rock, soft. 

30 

212 

Shale, blue, soft. 

40 

252 

Lime, white, hard — 

4 

256 

Red rock, soft. 

Sand, white, soft 

10 

266 

(water at 285 feet). 

36 

302 

Shale, white, soft. 

40 

342 

Sand, white, soft. 

15 

357 

Shale, blue, soft. 

Sand, white, hard 

85 

442 

(little salt water).. 

15 

457 

Shale, white, soft_ 

Sand, white, soft 
(hole full of water 

70 

627 

at 530 feet). 

85 

612 

Shale, white, soft_ 

60 

672 

Red rock, soft. 

5 

677 

Sand, white, soft.... 

8 

6S5 

Red rock, soft. 

24 

709 

Sand, white, soft. 

6 

715 

Shale, white, soft_ 

Sand, white, soft 

16 

731 

(water) . 

40 

771 

Shale, white, soft_ 

51 

822 

Red rock, soft. 

25 

847 

Lime, white, hard_ 

Sand, white, hard 

6 

853 

(little water) . 

10 

863 

Shale, white, soft. 

54 

917 

Sand, white, hard.... 

35 

952 

Red rock, soft. 

Sand, white, hard 

10 

962 

(little water) .’. 

30 

992 

Shale, white, soft.... 

28 

1020 

Red rock, soft. 

Sand, white, soft (lit- 

10 

1030 

tie water) . 

15 

1045 

Red rock, soft. 

Sand, white, hard 
(hole full of water 

10 

1065 



Thickness, 

Depth, 


Feet. 

Feet. 

at 1085 feet). 

215 

1270 

Shale, 

blue, soft. 

75 

1345 

Lime, 

white, hard— 

35 

1380 

Shale, 

white, soft— 

20 

1400 

Dime, 

white, hard.... 

15 

1415 

Shale, 

white, hard.... 

35 

1450 

Sand, 

white, hard — 

30 

1480 

Shale, 

white, soft.... 

35 

1515 

Red rock, soft. 

8 

1623 

Shale, 

blue, soft. 

23 

1546 

Lime, 

white, hard.... 

8 

1554 

Shale, 

brown, soft.... 

131 

1685 

Sand, white, hard 
(water at 1730 feet) 

55 

1740 

Shale, 

black, soft.... 

170 

1910 

Sand, 

white, hard.... 

15 

1925 

Shale, 

black, soft.... 

10 

1935 

Lime, 

white, hard — 

6 

1941 

Shale, 

black, soft.... 

10 

1951 

Sand, 

white, hard.... 

12 

1963 

Shale, 

black, soft.... 

22 

1985 

Sand, 

white, hard.... 

25 

2010 

Shale, 

black, soft_ 

140 

2150 

Lime, 

white, hard — 

5 

2155 

Shale, 

black, soft.... 

10 

2165 

Lime, 

white hard.... 

45 

2210 

Shale, 

black, soft.... 

6 

2216 

Lime, 

white, hard — 

10 

2226 

Shale, 

black, soft.... 

8 

2234 

Lime, 

white, hard_ 

9 

2243 

Shale, 

blue, soft. 

19 

2262 

Lime, 

white, hard— 

36 

2298 

Shale, 

black, soft. 

14 

2312 

Lime, 

white, hard.... 

8 

2320 

Shale, 

white, soft.... 

45 

2365 

Sand, white, soft (gas 
at 2370 feet; hole 
full of water at 2385 
feet) . 

30 

2395 

Lime, 

white, hard.... 

10 

2406 

Shale, 

black, soft. 

25 

2430 

Shells, 

black, hard... 

20 

2450 

Shale, 

black, soft.... 

30 

2480 

Sand, 

white, hard.... 

6 

2486 

Shale, 

black, soft.... 

8 

2494 

Lime, 

pink, hard.... 

14 

2508 

Shale, 

white, soft.... 

82 

2590 

Lime, 

white, hard.... 

6 

2596 

Shale, 

black, soft- 

54 

2650 

Mud, 

red, soft. 

40 

2690 

Shale, 

white, soft. 

22 

2712 

Lime, 

hard, gray. 

124 

2836 


THE CUSHING DISTRICT. 

The Cushing district consists of a single pool which 
lies in the western part of Creek County near the Payne 
County line about 9 miles east of the town of Cushing. The 
producing area extends about 9 miles north and south and 
3 miles east and west. The principal production is from 
secs. 5-6-7 and 8, T. 17 N., R. 7 E. The most recent de¬ 
velopment is in the northern end of the field. 
















































DESCRIPTION OF THE OKLAHOMA FIELDS 


127 


The producing sands are five in number. These, with 
their average depths below the surface, are as follows: 


Name. 
Sand ... 
Layton . 
Jones .. 
Cleveland 
Wheeler 


Depth 

980 

1,430 

1,900 

2,000-2,100 

2,200-2,400 


Of these sands the Layton and Wheeler are by far the 
most important, the other three sands producing only small 
amounts. The Layton sand is irregular in production and 
the greatest dependence is placed in the Wheeler sand. 
While this formation is usually classed as a sandstone it 
is reported to be a rather coarse-grained limestone. 


The structure of the field is anticlinal and the produc¬ 
tion follows the structure closely. In the eastern part of 
the field the Layton or upper sand is productive, while in 
. the western part of the field the principal production is 
from the Wheeler or lower sand. This condition indicates 
an unsymmetric anticline with the steeper side to the east. 
The surface rocks are principally sandstones and shales 
with one prominent limestone. This limestone occurs on 
• mounds southeast of Drumwright at elevations considerably 
greater than those of the escarpments to the east and west. 


The production of the Cushing pool cannot be stated 
accurately, but the daily production is estimated at 24,000 
barrels. The largest well so far reported produced 2,500 
barrels per day and the largest gas well had a capacity of 
27,000,000 cubic feet per day. 

The following logs are believed to be representative of 
the Cushing district: 







128 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


LOG OF WELL. MAGNOLIA MIKEY NO. 1, NW. Sec. 33. T. 18 N., R. 7 E. 


Lucr ur V v JZJ J-J J-J, 

Thickness, 

Depth, 


Thcikness, 

Depth, 


Feet. 

Feet. 


Feet. 

Feet. 

Soil . 

. 4 

4 

Sand and water .. 

.... 5 

740 


. 66 

70 

Lime . 

.... 5 

745 

White slate . 

. 28 

98 

Sand and w T ater .. 

.... 40 

785 


. 12 

110 

Black shell . 

.... 130 

915 

White slate . 

.35 

145 

Lime shell . 

.... 5 

920 

Red rock . 

. 5 

150 

Black shale . 

... SO 

1000 

White slate — 

. 30 

180 

Sand .. 

.... 20 

1020 

White sand . 

. 3 

183 

Black slate . 

.... 20 

1040 

T\7Vltl£k QlfltA 

. 35 

218 

l.imft . 


1045 

Red rock . 

. 17 

236 

White slate . 

.... 45 

1090 

White slate .... 

. 35 

270 

Black slate . 

.... 230 

1320 


. 8 

278 

Lime . 

.... 8 

1328 

Red rock . 

. 9 

287 

Sand (Layton) ... 

.... 18 

1346 


... 10 

297 

Slate . 


1351 

Red rock . 

. 13 

310 

Sand and gas. 

.... 60 

1411 

T\7"hitA csln fp 

. 40 

350 

Slate . 

.... 10 

1421 

Red rock . 

. 10 

360 

Sand (show oil)... 

.... 49 

1470 

White slate .... 

. 35 

395 

Slate . 

.... 80 

1550 

White send 

. 15 

410 

Lime . 

.... 3 

1663 

White slate . 

. 20 

430 

Slate . 

.... 9 

1562 

Red rock . 

. 14 

444 

? ? ? . 

.... 70 

1632 

White sand .... 

. 28 

470 

Sand (Jones) . 

.... 18 

1650 

Blue mud . 

. 39 

509 

Blue slate . 

.... 25 

1675 

T <imp 

. 21 

530 

Lime . 

.... 3 

1678 

iSend . 

. 15 

545 

Blue slate . 

.... 60 

1738 

Blue slate . 

. 30 

575 

Sand and Gas.... 

.... 22 

1760 

pan ft . 

. 15 

690 

Slate . 

... 30 

1790 

Blue slate . 

...... 14 

604 

Sand and gas _ 

.... 10 

1800 

White slate .... 

. 31 

635 

Slate . 

.... 255 

2055 

Red rock . 

. 15 

650 

Lime . 

.... 5 

2060 

Sand . 

. 30 

680 

Slate . 

.... 20 

2080 

Sand and water 

. 25 

705 

Sand . 

.... 12 

2092 


Gas well, capacity 32,000,000 cubic feet per day. Largest gas at 2092 feet. 


LOG OF WELL, A. DRUMRIGHT NO. 1, SW. % SEC. 32, T. 18 N., R. 7 E. 


Lime shell . 

Thickness, 
Feet. 
. 25 

Depth, 

Feet. 

1472 

Sand .. 
Slate .. 


Thickness, 

Feet. 

Depth, 

Feet. 

Layton sand ... 
Shale . 

. 27 

. 8 

1479 

1505 


. 10 

. 168 

2060 

2228 

Cleveland sand 
Slate . 

. 40 

. 70 

1950 

2020 

Wheeler 

Wheeler 

sand 

sand 

(show) 10 
(pay).. 42 

2238 

2280 


LOG OF WELL, J. WISHWELL NO. 1, SEC. 16, T. 17 N., R. 6 ,E. 

Depth, feet. 


No Layton sand. 


Jones sand .. 

Wheeler sand .. 
Bartlesville sand 
Mississippi lime 


from 1864 to 1871 
from 2697 to 2788 
from 2845 to 2863 
at 3038 


KAY COUNTY DISTRICT. 

Kay County is in the extreme north-central part of 
the State. The rocks are those of the upper Pennsylvanian 
and lower Permian. The formations as exposed are, be¬ 
ginning with the lowest, Wreford limestone, Matfield shale, 
Fort Riley limestone, Doyle shale, Winfield limestone, Un- 
cas shale, Herington limestone, and some higher unnamed 
formations. The county has three pools that produce oil or 
gas or both—the Ponca City, Newkirk, and Blackwell pools. 





















































































T.26N. TZ7N. r t8N. 


fr.ztr. 





MAP 

SHOWING PONCA CITY ANTICLINE. 
CONTOURS ON UPPER SURFACE OF 
HER/NGTON LIMESTONE. 

CONTOUR INTERVAL /S SO FEET 

SYMBOLS 

° Local ion • Oil Well 
0 Rig Up * Gas Well 
0 Drilling • Abandoned 
* Dry Hole 


Plate IV.—Structural and development map of the Ponca City Held 























































































































































































































































































































DESCRIPTION OF THE OKLAHOMA FIELDS 


129 


Po7ica City Pool. 

This field has been described recently by D. W. Ohern 
and Robt. E. Garrett in Bulletin No. 16 of the Oklahoma 
Geological Survey and the following paragraphs are sum¬ 
marized from that report: 

The principal part of the field so far developed is in 
the north-central part of T. 25 N., R. 2 E. This portion of 
the field produces both oil and gas. The first development 
was about 2 to 3 miles northeast of Ponca City in the east- 
central part of T. 26 N., R. 2 E. The wells in this portion 


LOG OF WELL, MOLLIE A. MILLER NO. 2, IN NW. *4 SEC. 9, T. 25 

N. t R. 2 E. 



Thickness, 

Depth, 


Feet. 

Feet. 

Soil . 

. 4 

4 

Sand and gravel. 

. 50 

54 

Lime . 

. 10 

64 

Red rock . 

. 36 

100 

Lime . 

. 5 

105 

Red rock . 

. 30 

135 

Sand (gas) . 

. 5 

140 

Red rock . 

. 60 

200 

Lime . 

. 10 

210 

Red rock . 

. 50 

260 

Sand (gas) . 

. 15 

275 

Red rock . 

. 75 

350 

Lime . 

. 20 

370 

Slate, white . 

. 30 

400 

Red rock . 

. 50 

450 

Lime . 

. 10 

460 

Red rock . 

. 35 

495 

Sand (gas) . 


540 

Red rock . 

. 15 

555 

Lime . 

. 13 

568 

Red rock . 

. 5 

573 

Lime . 

. 7 

580 

Red rock . 

. 13 

593 

Slate . 

. 13 

606 

Lime . 

. 8 

614 

Red rock . 

. 6 

620 

Lime . 

. 20 

640 

Red rock . 

. 5 

645 

Sand . 

. 8 

• 653 

Red rock . 

. 7 

560 

Lime . 

. 80 

740 

Black slate . 

. 15 

755 

Lime . 

. 8 

763 

Shale, white . 

.... 20 

783 

Sand, broken ... 

. 12 

795 

Red rock . 

. 5 

800 

Black slate . 


815 

Lime . 

. 6 

821 

Slate, white . 

. 25 

846 

Lime . 

. 12 

858 

Shale, black . 

. 12 

870 

Slate, white . 

. 15 

885 

Lime . 

.1 6 

890 

Shale . 

. 8 

898 

Lime . 

. 12 

91t0 

Shale . 

. 20 

930 

Sand (water) ... 

. 35 

965 



Thickness, 

Depth, 


Feet. 

Feet. 

Slate . 

. 25 

990 

Lime . 

. 5 

995 

Slate . 

. 15 

1010 

Lime . 

. 6 

1016 

Slate . 

. 22 

1038 

Lime . 

. 12 

1050 

Slate . 

. 20 

1070 

Lime . 

. 12 

1082 

Slate . 

. 6 

10S8 

Lime . 

. 12 

1100 

Slate . 

. 10 

1110 

Lime . 

. 15 

1125 

Slate and shells. 

. 25 

1150 

Lime . 

. 4 

1154 

Sand . 

. 16 

1170 

Slate . 

. 12 

1182 

Sand, broken ... 

. 6 

1188 

Slate . 

. 24 

1212 

Lime . 

. 8 

1220 

Slate . 


1250 

Lime . 

. 5 

1255 

Red rock . 

. 5 

1260 

Lime . 

. 3 

1263 

Slate . 

. 27 

1290 

Lime . 

. 9 

1299 

Slate . 

. 12 

1311 

Sand (water) ... 

. 30 

1341 

Slate . 

. 5 

1346 

Lime . 

. 2 

134S 

Slate . 

. 15 

1363 

Lime 

. 5 

1368 

Slate . 

. 32 

1400 

Red rock . 

. 5 

1405 

Lime, sandy (water). 20 

1425 

Slate . 

. 8 

1433 

Lime . 

. 18 

1451 

Red rocks . 

. 6 

1457 

Lime . 

. 8 

1465 

Slate . 

. 9 

1474 

Lime . 

. 24 

1498 

Slate . 

. 5 

1503 

Lime . 

. 3 

1506 

Black slate . 

. 10 

1516 

Red rock . 

. 7 

1523 

Sand (oil) . 

. 14 

1537 

Slate, black . 

. 22 

1559 



































































































130 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


of the pool are gas wells with the gas coming from a sand 
about 500 feet deep. The development up to the end of 
1912 is shown in the accompanying figure (PI. V), which 
also shows the structure of the field. The wells start about 
the level of the Herington limestone and encounter oil 
and gas at different depths. 

Structure .—The structure in the Ponca City field is a 
well developed anticline which extends from Arkansas 
River in sec. 35, T. 25 N., R. 3 E., southwest past Ponca 
City to Salt Fork of Arkansas River. The northern part 
of the fold is well defined, but the portion southwest from 
Ponca City is not so sharply shown. The anticline attains 
its maximum development in sec. 35, T. 28 N., R. 3 E., and 
dips very steeply to the north, but gently to the south. 
The eastern limb of the anticline dips much more steeply 
than the western. The syncline to the east of the anticline 
is well developed and its axis is parallel to and about 1 
mile to the east of that of the anticline. The structure of 
the field is shown on Plate V by means of contours drawn 
on the upper surface of the Herington limestone. This 
plate also shows the development up to the end of 1912. 

Development .—The development of the Ponca City 
field began in 1905 when a local company put down a well 
in the south part of the town and found gas at a depth of 
500 feet. Other wells were drilled in this neighborhood 
and sufficient gas was found to supply the local demand. 
The supply began to fail in 1909 and some drilling was 
done to the northeast of the town and was rewarded by 
wells of up to 5,000,000 cubic feet daily capacity in the 500 
feet sand. Not until 1911 was oil found in paying quanti¬ 
ties. By the end of 1912 there were about 30 producing 
oil wells. The maximum initial capacity of the individual 
wells was 1,200 barrels and the average settled capacity 
about 35 barrels. The oil is of rather deep olive green 
color. The base is paraffin and the gravity ranges from 44 
to 47 degrees Baume. There are 24 gas wells with an 
average initial production of 6,250,000 cubic feet daily. Of 
the total number of wells drilled about one-fourfh are dry 
holes. This percentage is abnormally high, but it includes 
several holes which penetrated only the shallow sand and 
hence cannot be considered as true test wells. 


DESCRIPTION OF THE OKLAHOMA FIELDS 


131 


Productive sands .—'The field is underlaid by at least 
six sands, all of which are more or less productive of oil or 

gas or both. These sands are as follows in descending or¬ 
der: 

(1) . A sand about 275 feet below the Herington lime¬ 
stone, or from the surface since most of the wells start 
about the Herington limestone. This sand is not an import¬ 
ant producer of either oil or gas. 

(2) . A sand about 375 feet below the Herington lime¬ 
stone. This sand produces gas in commercial quantities, 
but so far has not produced oil. It does not show in the 
log given. 

(3) . A sand about 550 feet below the Herington lime¬ 
stone. This is one of the most important gas producing 
sands of the pool and most of the older wells of the region 
of Ponca City stopped in this sand. It is probably the sand 
associated with the Emporia limestone of Kansas from 
which gas is obtained at Dexter, Arkansas City, Elmdale, 
and Council Grove, Kans., and which outcrops along Buck 
Creek in northern Osage County and also southeast of 
Fairfax in southern Osage County. The well logs show a 
maximum thickness of 49 feet for this sand with an aver¬ 
age of about 25 feet. Several of the wells in this sand have 
capacities of as much as 7,000,000 cubic feet of gas per 
day. 

(4) . A sand about 975 feet below the Herington lime¬ 
stone. This sand is about 35 feet thick and produces both 
oil and gas. It is possibly the Elgin sandstone, which out¬ 
crops at Pawhuska and near Cleveland. 

(5) . A sand about 1,330 feet below the Herington 
limestone. It yields quantities of gas up to 6,000,000 cubic 
feet per day from certain wells, but its importance lies in 
the fact that it is also productive of oil. A considerable 
proportion of the oil from this pool is yielded by this sand. 
The sand varies from 15 to 40 feet in thickness. In gen¬ 
eral, the thicker sand seems to be productive of oil, while 
the gas comes from the sand where it is thinner. This 
sand cannot be correlated with any in the territory to the 
eastward unless the sand encountered at 112 feet in the 
Blackburn well be the same. 


132 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


(6). A sand about 1,550 feet below the Herington 
limestone. This is the deepest sand which has so far proven 
productive in the pool. It produces both oil and gas and is 
the most important sand in the pool. Several wells re¬ 
corded as gas wells produced 10 barrels of oil natural on 
being brought in. The sand ranges from 15 to 20 feet in 
thickness with an average of 17 feet. 

Deeper sands .—One sand of considerable importance 
is known to be present beneath the sands so far found to 
be productive in the region. In the well of the 101 Ranch 
Oil Company in the northeast quarter sec. 25, T. 25 N., R. 
1 E., a sand 56 feet in thickness was encountered at a 
depth of 2,520 feet which yielded a “showing” of oil. This 
sand then lies 970 feet beneath the 1,550 foot sand and is 
therefore provisionally correlated with that encountered in 
the Ralston well at 2,140 feet, where a thickness of 70 feet 
was found. This sand has been correlated with the Cleve¬ 
land sand of the fields to the east and may reasonably be 
presumed to underlie the whole Ponca City field. 

If the correlations above indicated be correct then the 
horizon of the Bartlesville sand, which is one of the most 
productive at Cleveland, Tulsa, Bartlesville, and elsewhere 
in the Mid-Continent area, should be encountered in the 
Ponca City field at about 3,200 or 3,250 feet, and the hori¬ 
zon of the Tucker sand which is very productive, especially 
in the Cleveland field, should show up at about 3,450 or 
3,500 feet. No drill has gone to this depth in the present 
area, and no well in the region should be regarded as a 
test which has not gone deep enough to reach the horizons 
of these sands. 

The structural sheet shows that the Ponca City anti¬ 
cline is best developed near the north end and there is no 
doubt but that conditions are here very favorable for the 
accumulation of oil and gas. The success attending the 
sinking of test wells will depend largely on the depth to 
which the drill is sent. As shown elsewhere in this report 
few holes extend below 1,550-foot sand. Indeed several 
wells have been labeled “dry” although they reached only 
the 1,330-foot sand. The dry holes northwest of Uncas 
did not go down a thousand feet, and therefore mean ab- 


DESCRIPTION OF THE OKLAHOMA FIELDS 


133 


solutely nothing as to whether oil and gas may or may not 
be found in that locality. The discovery of productive 
sands at 500 feet at Cleveland, 400 to 700 feet in the Chero¬ 
kee shallow pool, 600 to 700 feet at Dewey, and 550 feet in 
the present area, while bringing quick returns on certain 
investments, has in the long run had a disastrous effect 
on the Mid-Continent field in general. In fact, in none of 
the pools in north-central Oklahoma does the productive 
sand lie deeper than 2,700 feet and in most cases at a much 
shallower depth, as in the Hogshooter, Dewey, Delaware, 
Coody’s Bluff, Nowata, and Alluwe fields, where the chief 
sand—the Bartlesville—lies at a depth of 1,100, 1,300, 900, 
700, and 600, respectively. It is true that at Cleveland 
the three richest sands lie at 1,400, 1,600, and 2,400 feet, 
respectively, and those at Cushing occur at 1,400 and 2,100 
feet. But even these figures appear diminutive compared 
with depths reached by wells in West Virginia, where 
deeper sands—the Gordon for instance—are reached at 
3,000 feet or more. In the Santa Maria field of California 
many of the wells reach a depth of 4,000 feet and more. In 
Oklahoma many test wells are abandoned before 2,000 
feet in depth is reached and these abortive attempts have 
served only to frighten prospectors away from those lo¬ 
calities. In the Ponca City region every part of the an¬ 
ticline should be tested down to a depth of not less than 
3,400 feet, the approximate position of the Tucker sand. 
This deep drilling should be done whether oil and gas are 
encountered at higher horizons or not. 

The most recent development in the field is a 100-barrel 
well on the northern end of the anticline. This well was 
brought in about September 1 by the Ponkirk Oil Company 
(Armstrong and associates). It is located at the center of 
sec. 2, T. 27 N., R. 3 E., about one-fourth mile from the 
axis of the anticline. This well indicates very strongly 
that the whole territory along the axis of the anticline as 
shown in the structural map of Ohern (Plate V) will prove 
productive. 

Newkirk.* 

About the time development started at Ponca a local 


*The descriptions of the Newkirk and Blackwell pools are taken 
entirely from the paper by Robt. H. Wood which has been cited. 



134 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


company was organized at Newkirk and drilled a number 
of wells in and about the town site, in the southwestern 
part of T. 28 N., R. 2 E. The holes range from 600 
to 1,688 feet in depth and it is reported that all pro¬ 
duced gas from a sand at a depth of about 600 feet. None 
of the wells produced very heavily, each averaging from 
100,000 to 200,000 cubic feet daily. Some of them are still 
supplying the inhabitants near by with fuel, but the most 
of them were drowned out by the inroads of salt water 
within a year or two after being drilled. The wells at New¬ 
kirk are about in strike with those of Ponca, but their heads 
are probably about 50 or 75 feet higher geologically. With 
that correction allowed, the different sands should occur at 
about the same depths as at Ponca. This conclusion is 
strengthened by a detailed log of the well drilled to a depth 
of 1,688 feet south of the townsite, in the NE. SE. % sec. 
28, T. 28 N., R. 2 E. This log shows 10 feet of gas at 610 feet, 
20 feet of barren sand at 1,360 feet, 10 feet of barren sand 
at 1,445 feet, and a series of barren sands interstratified 
with shale from 1,662 to 1,688 feet, the bottom of the hole. 
The presence of this gas, though not in great quantity, may 
be significant of a greater accumulation near by. It is re¬ 
gretted that some of the wells were not sunk about 5 miles 
farther east, where an anticline has been observed cross¬ 
ing Arkansas River. 

Blackwell. 

In 1904 or 1905 local capitalists began prospecting 
for oil and gas on the townsite of Blackwell. Much 
trouble was experienced in drilling through the red 
beds and the first two or three wells were lost or aban¬ 
doned without result. Indications of gas were found, how¬ 
ever, and prospecting continued to the north. About this 
time another local company entered the field. Some gas 
wells were soon “brought in/’ with a daily production of 
200,000 to 5,000,000 cubic feet, and drilling has continued 
intermittently ever since, until, when the writer visited 
the pool in February, 1912, 21 gas wells had been “brought 
in” out of a total of about 37 holes drilled. The pool, as 
developed, is nearly a mile wide and extends from the 
town site N. 5 deg.-lO deg. E. for 10 miles through the east¬ 
ern part of Tps. 27, 28, and 29 N., R. 1 W. In February, 
1912, two wells were being drilled in the northern part of 


DESCRIPTION OF THE OKLAHOMA FIELDS 


135 


the field, beyond any development. The wells range from 
650 to 1,500 feet in depth, the main producing sand being 
found at an average depth of 750 feet below the surface. 
Gas is also found in other sands in this pool, from 125 to 
985 feet in depth, though usually not in paying quantities. 
A number of logs were procured for study, and although 
the records differ materially from those at Ponca, it is 
believed that the principal gas sand at 750 feet is equival¬ 
ent to the 250-foot sand at Ponca, or possibly a sand 
found in some places about 100 feet higher. This pool is 
geologically the highest pool in the State and the lower 
sands which produce at Cleveland and other parts of the 
Mid-Continent field, if persistent, should be found from 
200 to 300 feet deeper than at Ponca—that is, the Cleve¬ 
land sand should be reached at 2,800 to 3,000 feet, the Bart¬ 
lesville sand at 3,600 to 3,800 feet, and the Tucker or 
Meadows sand, in the “Mississippi lime” (?) of the drill¬ 
ers. at 3.900 to 3,100 feet. A “showing” of high-grade oil 
was reported from one of the wells just outside the town 
site to the northwest, in the NW% sec. 23, T. 27 N., R. 1 W., 
but the depth of the sand was not recorded. This well 
also produced gas. It was capped and the gas has been 
turned into the mains of the town and the oil ignored. 

There are at present two distributing companies, the 
Union Oil & Gas Co. and the Blackwell Oil & Gas Co., sup¬ 
plying the town of Blackwell, and another company, the 
Junction Oil Co., is supplying Braman, a town 9 miles 
northwest of Blackwell. The Wichita Gas Co. is entering 
the field and hopes to supply the Chilocco Indian School and 
Arkansas City, Kans., with gas from this pool. 


VIII. 


OIL AND GAS DEVELOPMENT OUTSIDE THE 

MAIN FIELD 


Besides the occurrence of oil and gas in the northeast¬ 
ern part of the State in what may be called the main oil 
and gas field, there are several localities in which oil or 
gas or both have been found in sufficient quantities to be of 
commercial value or to be important as indicating the lim¬ 
its to which the main field may be extended and the wis¬ 
dom of further prospecting in certain localities. These 
occurrences may be divided into three classes, as follows: 

(1) . Occurrences a considerable distance in advance 
of the development of the main field to the east and south- 
east. This group includes the wells or small pools at We- 
woka, Coalgate, Poteau, Spiro, Vian, Red Oak, and Kinta. 
With the exception of the well at Wewoka, all this develop¬ 
ment has proven productive of gas rather than oil, but the 
number of wells drilled is yet too small to warrant the con¬ 
clusion that this will be the case with further development. 

(2) . Occurrences in the Cretaceous or Red River lime¬ 
stone area along Red River south of the Arbuckle and 
Ouachita mountains. The only pool in this area is the 
Madill pool, although there are reported strikes of oil in 
shallow wells in other localities. 

(3) . Occurrences around the margins of the Ar¬ 
buckle or Wichita mountains or between the two moun¬ 
tain groups. This region includes the development at 
Wheeler, Loco, Duncan (Arthur), Lawton, Granite, and 
Gotebo. 

In the following paragraphs these occurrences are de¬ 
scribed as fully as the knowledge of them will permit. In 


DEVELOPMENT OUTSIDE MAIN FIELD 


137 


some cases the descriptions may seem more detailed than is 
warranted by the present importance of the field, but since 
these outlying pools are the indications of the ultimate ex¬ 
tension of the producing field it seems best to give all the 
detail possible concerning them. 

OCCURRENCES OF OIL AND GAS TO THE SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST 

OF THE MAIN FIELD. 

All the gas and oil found in the region to the south 
and southeast of the main field occur in rocks of the same 
general age as those in which the oil and gas of the main 
field occur, that is in rocks of Pennsylvanian age. The 
easternmost occurrences are probably in rocks of slightly 
greater age than the productive rocks of the main field. 
The separate occurrences of this region have been men¬ 
tioned in a preceding paragraph. 

t 

Wewoka and Seminole County .—The development in 
the vicinity of Wewoka up to 1909 was described rather 
fully by Hutchison in Bulletin No. 2 of the Oklahoma 
Geological Survey and his description is given here in full. 


“As at present developed, the only occurrence of petroleum or 
natural gas in Seminole County is in two sections lying just east of 
Wewoka, the county seat. Oil was first discovered here in 1908 when 
it created considerable excitement. Development, however, has been 
very slow and the possibilities of the field are not yet determined. 
This pool is the farthest southwest of any development in the main 
field. The latest available data show that three companies, namely, 
the Wewoka Trading and Realty Company, the Southwestern Mining 
Company, and the Chipco Company, have drilled wells in this region. 

“The operations of the Wewoka Trading and Realty Company re¬ 
sulted in one good well and three failures. A pumping test of sixty 
days showed the producing well to have a capacity of 144 barrels. It 
is not known whether this company has done any drilling during the 
past year or not. The Southwestern Mining Company so far as now 
known, drilled but one well, and it is dry. The Chipco Company, 
at the time of the last report, had also put in a dry well and had 
started their No. 2. Operations have been quiescent during the past 
year, owing in part to the low prices of oil. There seems no reason 
why the region should not be found a prolific one, for it is well within 
the geologic province in which oil and gas occur most abundantly in 
Oklahoma. The following log of well No. 4 of the Wewoka Trading 
and Realty Company is representative of conditions as reported by 
the drillers. 


138 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


WEWOKA TRADING AND REALTY CO. NO. 4, ON SEC. 19, T. 8 N., R. 8 E. 


Thickness, 

Depth, 

Thickness, 

Depth, 

Feet. 

Feet. 

Feet. 

Feet. 

Light clay . 

25 

25 

Black shale . 

25 

1105 

Blue shale (sticky).. 

32 

57 

White shale (soft, 



Hard light limestone 

4 

61 

caves badly) . 

10 

1115 

Dark blue shale. 

49 

110 

Hard limestone . 

5 

1120 

Light sand (water 115 



Sandstone (medium 



feet) . 

17 

127 

hard) . 

22 

1142 

Shale . 

7 

134 

Brown shale . 

16 

1158 

Sandstone (broken 



Hard white sandstone 

12 

1170 

formation) . 

28 

162 

Dark shale . 

140 

1310 

Blue shale, sand 



Black shale . 

13 

1323 

shells about 170 feet 108 

270 

Hard limestone . 

2 

1325 

Red shale . 

5 

275 

White shale (caving) 

20 

1345 

Soft, light sand full 



Soft, white sand. 

44 

1389 

of water . 

10 

285 

White shale . 

61 

1450 

Hard dark sand. 

10 

295 

Dark shale, show of 



Shale . 

35 

330 

oil at 1400 feet. 

25 

1475 

Dark limestone . 

30 

360 

White shale, sand and 



Dark shale . 

30 

395 

lime shells . 

58 

1533 

Hard limestone . 

10 

405 

Hard white sandstone 

8 

1541 

Light shale . 

81 

486 

White shale, top of 



Black shale . 

24 

510 

sand; gas when 



Red shale . 

105 

615 

struck . 

54 

1595 

Dark and light shale 150 

765 

Gray sandstone, flows 



Limestone . 

3 

768 

oil and water. 

2% 

1597% 

White shale . 

21 

789 

White, soft sand, salt 

White sand, much 



water . 

i3y 2 

1611 

salt -tfater, big oil 



Hard white sandstone, 



show . 

42 

831 

hole full of salt 



Light, shale 

4 

835 

water . 

2 

1613 

Very hard white lime- 



White sandstone .... 

15 

1628 

stone shale . 

93 

938 

Sandstone . 

10 

1638 

Sandstone, good show 



Blue sandstone . 

16 

1654 

of green oil 931 feet 

10 

948 

Soft white sand. 

4 

1658 

Light shale . 

132 

10S0 

Close formation . 

6% 

1669% 


“No correlation of the formations passed through is attempted, 
because the stratigraphic relations are not yet determined and it is 
known that the formations which are found in the regions from Tulsa 
north, in all probability, do not extend this far south. It may be, 
however, that some of the limestones recorded in the log occupy 
nearly the same horizon as some of those north of the Arkansas River. 

“The rocks of the region consist of alternating sandstones, shales, 
and limestones, of which the shales greatly predominate, though sand¬ 
stones are very abundant. Wewoka is situated about four miles west 
of what is at present considered the base of the Sapulpa, group as 
described in this paper. Thus the Wewoka wells are begun at about 
the same horizon as those in the Flatrock and Turley pools north of 
Tulsa and just a little lower than the horizon at which the wells of 
the Hogshooter field are sunk. The thickness of the Tulsa group, 
which immediately underlies the Sapulpa series, is not known in this 
region, but it seems that the wells, which are usually about 1,650 to 
1,700 feet deep must pass entirely below the horizon of the Calvin 
sandstone, (the southern representative of the horizon of the Claremore 
(Fort Scott) formation. If such is the case the oil at Wewoka occurs 
at approximately the same geologic horizon as does that of the Shallow 
field of the Cherokee Nation.” 


Since the above was written there has been no further 
development in Seminole County until recently. During 

















































DEVELOPMENT OUTSIDE MAIN FIELD 


139 


1912 a well was drilled west of the town and was dry at 
2,000 feet. Several other wells are located or drilling in 
Seminole County as follows: The Prairie Oil and Gas Com¬ 
pany is drilling a well in sec. 11, T. 9 N., R. 9 E. They are 
starting with a twenty-inch hole and are intending to drill 
to 3,000 feet or more if necessary to make a thorough test. 
The Revenue Oil Company has a well drilling in sec. 32, T. 
9 N., R. 8 E. Rigs are up or drilling is going on in sec. 
11, T. 7 N., R. 7 E., and in sec. 29 of the same township. 

The geologic conditions of Seminole County are very 
favorable for the occurrence of oil and gas. The rocks are 
sandstones and shales of Pennsylvanian age and borings 
should encounter about the same character of rocks as in 
the other pools south of the Arkansas River. Practically no 
detailed geologic work has been done in the county, but it 
is known that there is some gentle folding which should 
give favorable places for the accumulation of oil and gas. 

Poteau .—The small gas field near Poteau, the county 
seat of LeFlore County, is of considerable importance at 
present and of still greater importance as an indication of 
the southeastward extension of the main field. The dis¬ 
cussion of the geology and the structure of the county is 
given in another connection and a brief description is all 
that is necessary here. 

So far nine wells have been drilled in the vicinity of 
Poteau as follows: 

Well No. 1 was drilled in the middle of sec. 27, T. 7 N., 
R. 26 E. in July, 1910. When brought in it showed a ca¬ 
pacity of 1,800,000 cubic feet of gas with a pressure of 
304 pounds. After standing open for over two months the 
well was closed and in November guaged 5,000,000 cubic 
feet per day at a pressure of 355 pounds. About 300,000 
cubic feet per day have been used from this well since 
November, 1910, and at present the well shows a capacity 
of 5,000,000 cubic feet per day and a pressure of 412 
pounds. 

Well No. 2 was drilled on the eastern side of sec. 21 
of the same township. Gas was encountered at a depth of 
1,803 feet. A week after the well was shut in it showed a 


140 


‘ PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


capacity of 1,800,000 cubic feet and a pressure of 355 
pounds. This well was lost in the summer of 1912 in an 
effort to remove the casing and 2-inch tubing which had 
been installed, but which collapsed shortly after being 
placed. J 

Well No. 3 was drilled in sec. 3, in the same township, 
1 mile from Cameron. The depth is 1,300 feet. The well 
was allowed to stand full of water for 30 days before 
shooting and caved badly when attempts were made to clean 
it out. The capacity now is 600,000 cubic feet and the pres¬ 
sure 300 pounds. This well has been supplying Cameron 
with gas for the past 9 months. 

Well No. 4 was drilled a short distance northeast of 
No. 3, near Cameron, by the Fort Smith Light and Trac¬ 
tion Company. The pressure is reported at 250 pounds 
and the capacity at about 500,000 cubic feet per day. 

Well No. 5 was drilled about the center of sec. 23, T. 
7 N., R. 26 E. Gas was encountered at a depth of 1,500 
feet and the capacity was about 1,000,000 cubic feet. The 
tubing and packer dropped shortly after the well was 
brought in and the well caved so badly when attempts 
were made to clean it out that the casing was pulled and 
the well plugged. 

Well No. 6 was drilled about the center of sec. 34 of 
the same township, and shows 2,000,000 cubic feet of gas at 
1,600 feet. The original pressure was 350 pounds, but it in¬ 
creased later to 412 pounds. 

Well No. 7 is in sec. 34 of the same township. It en¬ 
countered gas at a depth of 1,535 feet. The capacity is 
5,000,000 cubic feet and the pressure 412 pounds. 

Two dry wells have been drilled, one near Hill, about 
4 miles east of well No. 4 and one about 2 miles west of 
well No. 3. These wells seem to have missed the sand 
which is productive in the other wells. Showings of oil were 
found in two of the wells, but not in sufficient quantity to 
be of importance. 

The sand in the gas wells is reported as being about 
220 feet thick except in the well at Cameron, where it was 


DEVELOPMENT OUTSIDE MAIN FIELD 


141 


about 55 feet thick. The sand is very hard, about 15 feet 
per day being average drilling. 

There has been no development very recently on ac¬ 
count of lack of market for the gas. 

According to TafFs mapping the wells are started 
near the top of the McAlester shale and since this forma¬ 
tion is about 2,000 to 2,500 feet thick, the productive sand 
is almost certainly a sandstone lens or member of the Mc¬ 
Alester. It is to be noted that the wells in the Coal County 
and the Poteau fields are started at approximately the same 
horizon and encounter the gas producing sands at approx¬ 
imately the same depth. 

Coal County .—The development in Coal County is in 
the extreme northeastern part near the Pittsburg County 
line. The wells so far drilled are in T. 3 N., Rs. 11 and 12 
E. Well No. 1 is in sec. 24, T. 3 N., R. 11 E., in Coal County 
and is reported to have had 67 feet of oil sand at 1,527 feet 
and is a gasser, making 6,000,000 cubic feet per day. Well 
No. 2 is in NE. *4 of the same section and is reported dry 
at 1,200 feet, but the casing has not been pulled. Well No. 
3 is in sec. 17, T. 3 N., R. 12 E., across the line in Pittsburg 
County and has a capacity of 12,000,000 cubic feet of gas 
per day with 117 feet of sand. Well No. 4 is in sec. 20 or 
21 of the same township and has a capacity of 8,000,000 
cubic feet of gas per day. Well No. 5 is now (July, 1913), 
going down on sec. 19 and is reported to have excellent 
sand and good oil showing, but with no gas. Plans are un¬ 
der way to pipe the gas from these wells to McAlester. 

Some Bartlesville parties are reported to have leased 
10,000 acres southwest of Lehigh in Tps. 1 and 2 S., R. 9 
E., which they will begin to develop thoroughly at once. 
Three rigs are now at work in the county, that of Moran 
Test Oil Company in T. 3 N., R. 11 E., that of the Wolford 
Company in sec. 4, T. 1 N., R. 10 E., and that of the Clar¬ 
ion Oil Company in T. 2 N., R. 10 E. 

The geologic conditions in Coal County are very fav¬ 
orable for the occurrence of oil and gas. The rocks are the 
sandstones and shales of the Pennsylvanian area south of 
the Arkansas River. The wells so far drilled start near 


142 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


the bottom of the Savanna sandstones on the top of the 
McAlester shale, and the productive sands are almost cer¬ 
tainly sandstone members of the McAlester shale. The 
structure is a series of pronounced anticlines and synclines 
which have been mapped by Taff in the Coalgate folio. The 
present development is on the Savanna anticline, which be¬ 
gins about the southwest corner of T. 3 N., R. 11 E., and 
bears a little north of east across that township to the 
county line and on northward in the vicinity of Alderson. 
The anticline rises to a dome just about the Coal-Pittsburg 
county line and pitches rather steeply to the west, disap¬ 
pearing in the valley of Caney Boggy Creek. The north¬ 
ern limb of the anticline is much steeper than the southern. 

The Coalgate anticline begins as a broad indistinct 
fold west of Phillips and narrows and pitches northeast¬ 
ward toward Coalgate and then rises again into an elonga¬ 
ted domelike structure in Coal Creek valley. East of Coal 
Creek the axis pitches to the east and then becomes nearly 
level and continues to the northeast almost to Kiowa in 
Pittsburg County, where it dies out into the southern limb 
of the Kiowa syncline. Like the Savanna anticline, the 
Coalgate anticline has much the steeper dip on the north¬ 
western limb. 

The approximate location of the crests of these anti¬ 
clines is shown in Plate II. All of the territory near the 
crests of these folds should be prospected since the struc¬ 
ture is favorable and the prospecting already done has 
shown large quantities of gas and some showings of oil. 
In general, the southern limb of the anticlines are more 
favorable for prospecting on account of their being less 
steep than the northern limbs. 

Other wells .—In addition to the development noted 
there are a few wells which have proved productive of gas 
at other localities in this region. Gas is reported in a well 
about 1,000 feet deep at Vian in southwestern Sequoyah 
County. This well is probably located on the Enterprise an¬ 
ticline. Four wells have been drilled at or near 
Spiro in northern LeFlore County, two wells near 
the crest of the anticline passing through that 
place are gas producers and two farther off the 
axis are dry holes. The capacities of the gas 


DEVELOPMENT OUTSIDE MAIN FIELD 


143 


wells are reported at from 750,000 to 3,000,000 cubic feet 
per day. A well 4 miles north of Red Oak in Latimer 
County is reported to have a capacity of 4,000,000 cubic 
feet per day. A well at Kinta in southern Haskell County 
is reported to have a capacity of 2,000,000 cubic feet at a 
depth of 1,700 feet. 

OCCURRENCES OF OIL AND GAS IN THE CRETACEOUS OR RED 

RIVER LIMESTONE AREA. 

The geologic conditions of this area with reference to 
the accumulation of oil and gas have been discussed rather 
fully in a previous section (pp. 67-69) and the remarks 
need not be repeated here. The only development in the 
region which has attained any importance is the pool at 
Madill. Recently a small deposit of very heavy oil was 
found at a shallow depth near Mannsville. 

Madill pool .—The Madill pool was discovered in the 
summer of 1906. The principal development was on the 
Arbuckle farm in the SW. % sec. 25, T. 5 S., R. 5 E. Con¬ 
siderable drilling was done, but the pool was never extend¬ 
ed very far beyond the limits of the Arbuckle farm and 
the number of producing wells was never very great. 
There has been no marked development in the pool since 
about 1910 when there were only a few producing wells 
out of a large number of holes that had been drilled. The 
production was never very large and for some time has 
been between one and two tank cars per month. The 
highest initial production of any of the wells was reported 
at 1,000 barrels, but according to some observers did not 
exceed 400 barrels. The oil is a very light oil, having a 
specific gravity of 47.5 degrees Baume, making it by far 
the lightest oil so far found in Oklahoma. The base is 
pure paraffin with no trace of asphalt. On distillation the 
crude yields about 60 per cent light oil, of which almost 
one-half is gasoline. The oil is shipped in tank cars from 
a loading switch near Madill. 

OCCURRENCES IN THE REDBEDS NEAR THE ARBUCKLE AND 

WICHITA MOUNTAINS. 

It has been shown in discussing ihe conditions in the 
Redbeds in relation to the formation and accumulation of 


144 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


oil and gas that neither of these substances has been found 
in the greater part of the Redbeds region, and that there 
are good geologic reasons why they should not be found 
here. It has also been shown that as the Arbuckle and 
Wichita mountains are approached the Redbeds thin 
greatly, and that it is possible to drill through them and 
to reach older rocks underneath. These older rocks are 
usually steeply tilted so that any oil and gas which they 
may have contained has had an opportunity to work up 
and collect in the lower sandy or gravelly members of the 
Redbeds. This condition is believed to exist in the differ¬ 
ent oil and gas fields or pools around the two groups of 
mountains, namely the Wheeler, Loco, Duncan, Lawton, 
and Gotebo fields. 

The Wheeler pool .—The general geologic conditions 
of the Wheeler field are given fully in the following para¬ 
graphs which were furnished by F. Julius Fohs (of the 
firm of Fohs & Gardner, Consulting Geologists, of Lexing¬ 
ton, Ky.), who made an examination of the pool very re¬ 
cently. 

“This pool, which derives its name from an unbuilt townsite in 
Wheeler township in northeastern Carter County, Okla., is represent¬ 
ative in structural features of one of the two types found in the 
Redbeds, a domed anticline, being similar in character and parallel 
to but at a shallower depth than the Petrolia pool in Texas. The 
other principal type of structure, developed in the Electra pool by 
Udden, shows that both the important structural types which con¬ 
trol oil and gas accumulations are represented in the Redbeds. 

“In a general way the anticline upon which the Wheeler dome 
is located strikes northwest-southeast, parallelling the general trend 
of the Arbuckle-Wichita uplift, and being directly in line with the 
fCriner Hill uplift. It would appear therefore as probable thait the 
direction of these post-Pennsylvanian uplifts was followed by later 
post-Permian folding of more gentle character, paralleling and 
following the old established lines of weakness. Cross-folding al¬ 
most at right angles is responsible for the doming. The pre-Permian 
beds were very much more sharply folded, turned in fact almost 
upon edge, especially along the Criner Hill uplift as well as where 
the larger Arbuckle uplift is approached further north, as that the 
post-Pennsylvanian erosion which truncated them permitted the es¬ 
cape of most of the oil and gas contained, leaving them only the 
heavier residues in the form of the asphalt deposits. Thus drilling 
in this vicinity to greater depth than the base of the Redbeds whose 
maximum thickness in the Wheeler field is about 1,025 feet, ap¬ 
pears unwarranted, and a sheer waste of money expended thereon. 
Heavy as this oil is—18 to 19 deg. Be.—it appears extremely reasona¬ 
ble that since there is sufficient in the way of shale-bed covering 
to have prevented the escape of more volatile constituents, that the 


DEVELOPMENT OUTSIDE MAIN FIELD 


145 


origin may best be attributed to a reconcentratlion of the oil resi¬ 
dues obtained during the process of erosion of the pre-Permian beds. 
It appears more than co-incident that the heavy asphalt deposits 
along the north side of the Criner Hill uplift turned on edge as it is, 
should be directly in line with the Wheeler dome. Further it is 
worthy of note that the oil springs at the surface in the Wheeler 
field, together with the asphalt rock croppings represent what 
were previously oil accumulations in these upper beds, a fact already 
generally recognized, but more than this, appear especially here be¬ 
cause they were accumulations due originally to the dome structure, 
and therefore in a manner paralleling the main gas and oil sands 
below, facts that appear worthy of recognition in the search for other 
undeveloped pools. 

“Three beds of commercial import' appear in this field, the two 
upper ones being chiefly gas-bearing, the lower an oil sand with gas 
only at the crest of the dome. The uppermost lies about 385 feet 
above the second, and the latter 292 feet average above the lowest 
or principal oil sand. The depth to the top of the oil sand varies 
from 960 to 810 feet. The surface altitudes at the tops of the wells 
range from 1,010 to 1,078 feet. 

“The main oil sand represents the basal sand bed of the Red- 
beds and varies in character from fine to very coarse almost gravel¬ 
ly sand, while its thickness varies from 10 to 60 feet, and locally 
is entirely absent either due to old near-shore channels- or to its 
being deposited around old shale knobs, which means that even on 
the structure the oil is locally absent. The pool seems controlled 
by a dome where the top of the sand rises from 60 to 140 feet above 
sea level, without the 60-foot contour salt water being encountered 
while above the 125 foot contour gas rather than oil is present in 
all except one instance. The gas sands above are not strictly paral¬ 
lel, but appear to have the crest of the domes slightly to the south¬ 
west of that of the oil sand. The general trend of the anticline is 
northwest-southeast and the dome is necessarily elongated in that 
direction, having a productive length of three times its width. The 
gas sands vary in thickness from 3 to 20 feet. Water sands occur 
irregularly through the measures and locally the deep sand has a 
water cap. 

“Chances for profitable pools northeast and southeast toward the 
outcrop of the Redbeds appear negative, chances for small pools 
northwest where other domes are encountered are more encourag¬ 
ing, but of doubtful profitable character, while southwest where the 
Redbeds thicken, and parallel domed folds occur, the chances are 
more promising, especially toward the Texas boundary line. We 
wish to acknowledge our indebtedness to the operators for their 
kindness in this investigation.” 

At present there are about 75 wells in the field, of 
which over 50 produce oil and about 10 produce gas. Al¬ 
most all the production is from the holdings of the Santa 
Fe Railway. The initial production of the oil wells is re¬ 
ported by the company at from 2 to 42 barrels and the set¬ 
tled production at from 0 to 28 barrels. The initial ca¬ 
pacity of the gas wells ranged from 1,500,000 to 56,000,- 
000 cubic feet per day with most of them showing less 
than 5,000,000 cubic feet. The highest settled capacity is 


T.3S 


146 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


reported at 2,000,000 cubic feet, with most of the wells 
showing about 500,000 cubic feet. Some of the gas wells 
have failed entirely or have been lost for some reason. The 
state of development in July, 1913, is shown in figure 37. 

The oil is piped to Ardmore and used for fuel by the 
Santa Fe. The gas supplies the city of Ardmore. 

R.2W. 


4 

4 



R.2W. o locafior? orDr/J/i/? g . 6 <5ho w. 
Santo Fe fro/c/mpf * Abar?a/or?ed. & Dry ho/e. • Producer. -f Gas 


Fig. 37.—Development of the Wheeler pool. 

Well at Healdton .—Considerable attention has recent¬ 
ly been drawn to a well brought in in August near Healdton 
in the NE. *4 sec. 8, T. 4 S., R. 3 W., about 6 miles from 
the Wheeler development and 28 miles west and 4 north 
of Ardmore. It was brought in as a flowing well and 
spouted 10 feet above the top of the derrick. The oil was 


T.3S. 












































DEVELOPMENT OUTSIDE MAIN FIELD 


147 


encountered at a depth of 927 feet. The production has 
been reported as high as 400 barrels, but the consensus of 
opinion is that the settled production is about 75 barrels 
The well is owned by the Union Petroleum Company 
(Kritchlow and associates). The oil is much lighter than 
that from the Wheeler wells. A sample collected from a 
covered tank which had been standing full for several days 
tested 34 deg. B. at 60 deg. F. The oil is deep green to 
black in color. Another rig is up on sec. 5, T. 4 S., R. 3 
W., northeast of the discovery well and a location has 
been made about one-half mile to the south. 

Loco pool .—The Loco pool is situated in southeastern 
Stephens County east of Comanche. The geologic relations 
are apparently precisely similar to those of the Wheeler 
pool. The oil and gas are found near the base of the Red- 
beds and the accumulation is said to be controlled by an 
anticlinal fold. Surface deposits of asphalt are present in 
the vicinity. Three wells have been completed, all of 
which show 4 to 6 sands with oil or gas. The wells are 
located in secs. 1, 15, and 10, T. 3 S„ R. 5 W. The well in 
sec. 1 shows 25,000,000 cubic feet gas capacity at 700 feet, 
and the one in sec. 15 had an initial production of 60 bar¬ 
rels of oil at 400 feet. Other wells are drilling and located 
and the pool promises considerable development in the 
next few months. 

The nature of the rocks encountered in drilling in this 
region is shown in the following logs: 


LOG OF WELL, GALLOWAY NO. 3, SW. % SEC. 10, T. 3 S., R. 5 W. 


Thickness, 

Depth, 

Thickness, 

Depth, 


Feet. 

Feet, i 

Feet. 

Feet. 

("Mo v 

3 

3 

Lime . 

15 

231 

Sand rock . 

. 10 

13 

Brown shale . 

44 

275 


14 

27 

Red shale . 

4 

279 

Red and blue shale. 

. 9 

36 

Brown shale . 

7 

286 


10 

46 

Lime . 

10 

296 

Sands and shale 


Sand (pay oil). 

11 

307 

(trace of oil). 

8 

54 

Red shale . 

4 

311 


11 

65 

Brown shale . 

5 

316 

Blue shale . 

. 7 

72 

Sand (oil) . 

4 

320 


8 

80 

Red shale . 

10 

330 

Brown shale . 

. 4 

84 

Shale (pay oil). 

12 

342 

Red shale . 

. 12 

96 

Blue shale . 

13 

365 

Shale and sand. 

. 7 

103 

Sand and salt water 

10 

365 

Sand (oil) . 

. 9 

112 

Red and blue shale.. 

14 

379 

Red shale . 

. 48 

160 

Blue shale . 

13 

392 

Red shale and sand. 

. 3 

163 

Sand (oil 50 bbls). 

15 

407 

Brown shale . 

. 15 

178 

Red and blue shale.. 

5 

412 

Sand (oil, 10 bbl.)... 

. 11 

189 

Sand (oil) . 

5 

417 

Brown shale . 

. 27 

216 

Brown shalfe . 

27 

444 










































148 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


LOG OF WELL, GALLOWAY NO. 1, SEC. 6, T. 3 S., R. 5 W. 


Thickness, Depth, 


Soil . 

Feet. 

. 5 

Feet. 

5 

Blue shale . 


10 

15 

White sand (some oil) 

10 

25 

Brown shale 


25 

50 

Limestone . 


5 

55 

Blue shale . 


10 

65 

White sand 


25 

90 

Limestone 


8 

98 

White sand 


12 

110 

Red shale . 


15 

125 

White sand 

(gas).... 

15 

140 

Blue shale . 


5 

146 

White sand 


10 

155 

Red shale . 


32 

187 

White sand (some oil) 

33 

220 

Red shale . 


100 

320 

Sand (some 

oil). 

15 

335 

Red shale . 


40 

375 

Blue shale ., 


10 

385 

Sand (gas) ., 


3 

388 

Blue shale ., 


7 

395 

Sand (oil, 10 

bbl.). 

12 

407 

Blue shale ., 


5 

412 

Red shale ., 


93 

505 

Blue shale .. 


5 

. 510 

Sand (oil, 11 

bbl.)_ 

15 

525 

Red shale ... 


50 

575 

Blue shale .. 


5 

580 


Thickness, 

Depth, 


Feet. 

Feet. 

Red shale . 

...15 

595 

Blue shale . 

. 25 

620 

Salt and sand. 

. 45 

665 

Blue shale . 

. 10 

675 

White sand (oil). 

. 20 

695 

Blue shale . 

. 15 

710 

Salt sand . 

. -50 

760 

Blue shale . 

. 50 

810 

White sand . 

. 5 

815 

Lime . 

3 

818 

Blue shale .. 

. 165 

983 

Water sand . 

. 2 

985 

Blue shale . 

. 70 

1055 

White lime . 

. 10 

1065 

White sand (oil show- 



ing) . 

. 5 

1070 

Blue shale . 

, 15 

1085 

Gray lime . 

. 50 

1135 

Blue shale . 

. 15 

1150 

Gray lime . 

20 

1170 

Blue shale . 

15 

1185 

Gray lime . 

25 

1210 

White water sand_ 

5 

1215 

Gray lime . 

20 

1235 

Blue shale . 

2 

1237 

Gray lime . 

18 

1255 

Blue lime . 

5 

1260 


The limestones from 1235 feet to th e bottom of the hole are impregnated 
with oil. 


Duncan pool .—The development in the vicinity of 
Duncan consists of some gas wells in sec. 12, T. 1 N., R. 
6 W., 10 miles east. A well defined anticline extends south 
from these wells through the eastern tier of sections of 
T. 1 N., R. 6 W., and then swings southeast across T. 1 S., 
R. 5 W., and probably beyond the southeast corner of the 
township south of Velma. The wells are on the east side 
of the anticline. There are four good gas wells about 800 
feet in depth. One well shows 160 pounds pressure and 
5,000,000 cubic feet daily capacity; the second well shows 
17,000,000 cubic feet capacity with pressure undeter¬ 
mined; the third well, 321 pounds pressure and 13,000,000 
cubic feet capacity; the fourth well, a pressure of 340 
pounds with a capacity of 17,500,000 cubic feet. Gas from 
these wells supplies the cities of Duncan and Marlow and 
the company has franchises in Chickasha and Lawton. 
One well in section 12 was sunk to a depth of 2,100 feet, 
but was abandoned on account of trouble with the casing. 
Good oil showings are reported. 

A well was sunk in 1912 on sec. 30, T. 1 N., R. 5 W., to 
a depth of 900 feet. A good showing of oil was reported 























































DEVELOPMENT OUTSIDE MAIN FIELD 


149 


but the well was abandoned on account of casing trouble. 
The depth of this well was not sufficient for it to be con¬ 
sidered as being a test of the territory. Four sands are 
reported from the well. 

The Stephens County Oil and Development Company 
has extensive holdings near the axis of the anticline in 
townships 1 N. and 1 S., R. 5 W. and in T. 1 N., R. 6 W. 
This company plans to sink four test wells in the near 
future in the southwestern part of T. 1 N., R. 5 W. and in 
the northwestern part of T. 1 -S. of the same range. These 
wells will be carried to a depth of 2,500 feet in an effort 
to test the territory. 

The presence of strong gas wells at the north end of 
the structure and of asphalt in the vicinity of Velma makes 
this territory appear very promising. 

Lawton pool .—The Lawton pool is located about 5 
miles east of the city of Lawton. The first well was drill¬ 
ed in 1904 and drilling has been almost continuous since 
that time, but it has been on a small scale and the field 
has never attracted a great deal of attention. There are 
at present only three or four producing oil wells. Twenty 
barrels per day is reported as the maximum production of 
a single well. Some of the gas wells have capacities of up 
to 500,000 cubic feet. The gas is piped to Lawton and the 
supply has not been in excess of the demand for domestic 
purposes. The production is from sands near the base of 
the Redbeds at about P>20 to 400 feet below the surface. 
On account of the increased price of oil the field is some¬ 
what more active at present than in the past. 

Gotebo pool —A considerable number of wells, almost 
100, have been drilled south of Gotebo in northwestern 
Kiowa County. The geologic conditions are practically 
the same as for the other pools in the Redbeds area near the 
Arbuckle and Wichita mountains. The surface rocks are 
Redbeds sandstones and shales with some conglomerate. 
These rocks lie nearly level and lap over the granite 
and older Paleozoic rocks which are exposed in the moun¬ 
tains. Most of the wells are from 300 to 400 feet deep. 
The oil and gas probably are derived from the older rocks 



150 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


below the Redbeds. The structure of the pool has not 
been determined. The production of the wells is small and 
up to 1910 none of the gas wells had shown more than 
500,000 cubic feet daily capacity. Data on wells drilled 
since that time are not available, but it is known that no 
phenomenal strikes have been made. Hutchison (Bull. 
No. 2, Okla. Geol. Survey) gives the following log as rep¬ 
resenting the conditions encountered in one of the deep¬ 
est wells in the vicinity: 

LOG OF WELL SOUTH OF GOTEBO, KIOWA COUNTY. 

Thickness, Depth, 


Character of Formation. Feet. Feet. 

Red and blue shale and sandstone. 500 500 

Thin limestone, shale and granite boulders. 150 650 

Hard blue limestone. 80 730 

Sandstone and shale, show of gas. 20 750 

Hard blue limestone. 85 835 

Red shale (caves badly). 15 850 

Very hard limestone. 270 1120 

Brown slaty limestone. 60 1180 

White hard flinty limestone mud filled fissures. 245 1425 

Blue and black shale. 200 1625 

Grayish limestone . 55 1680 


Still in the limestone when the drilling was stopped. 

Development at Granite .—During the years 1901- 
1906 seven wells were drilled in the vicinity of Granite in 
northeastern Greer County. One well on the townsite en¬ 
countered granite at 380 feet and drilling was stopped, 
A well northwest of town found oil at a depth of about 
180 feet, but the production was only about 3 barrels per 
day of a heavy oil. In an effort to increase the production 
by shooting, the well was destroyed. Two other wells in 
the same vicinity were lost. A deep well about 7 miles 
north of town was drilled to a depth of 2,135 feet. Sev¬ 
eral sands were encountered and several good showings 
of oil and gas were reported, but no production was en¬ 
veloped. The Redbeds in this well had a thickness of about 
900 feet, showing that the thickness increases very rapidly 
to the north of the mountains. Only sandstones, shales, 
and conglomerate were reported in the log. No develop¬ 
ment has been attempted in the vicinity of Granite since 


1906. 














IX. 


CHARACTER OF THE OKLAHOMA OILS 


In spite of the importance of Oklahoma as an oil 
producing State very little work has been done in the way 
of investigating the character of the oils. The only ex¬ 
tensive series of analyses was made by the United States 
Geological Survey under the direction of Dr. David T. 
Day. The results of these tests are included in a table 
published in Bulletin No. 381 of the Survey. Since this 
publication is no longer available to the general public it 
is given here. The samples were collected in the latter 
part of March and the first half of April in 1908, with 
the temperature between 60 and 70 degrees. The samples 
were collected in metal cans, which were immediately sol¬ 
dered so as to prevent all chances for evaporation. One 
gallon samples were collected from the wells and five gal¬ 
lon samples from the pipe lines and storage tanks. For 
the benefit of those interested in the chemistry of oil Dr. 
Day’s discussion of the methods of analysis is given in 
full. The date of collection, temperature of air when 
sample was collected, and the quantity of sample collected 
are omitted from the tables. 

A set of very delicate specific-gravity spindles was made es¬ 
pecially for this investigation, by C. Tagliabue & Sons. The samples 
were brought to a temperature of 60 deg. in a cylinder cooled in a 
water bath. The specific gravity was then taken, and the tables 
show also the conversion of this figure into degrees Baume. The 
samples were then distilled by Engler’s method as modified by Ub- 
belohde. Thus 100 cubic centimeters of the crude oil, measured at 
60 deg., were delivered by a pipette into a distilling bulb holding 
about 125 cubic centimeters. The dimensions of this bulb are those 
prescribed by Engler. The thermometer used was a nitrogen ther¬ 
mometer reading to 550 deg. C., which had been carefully standard¬ 
ized by the Bureau of Standards. The condenser tube, as prescribed 
by Engler, was 75 cubic centimeters long and had an inclination of 
75 deg. The point of initial boiling was taken when the first drop of 
oil fell from the condenser tube into the receiving flask. To avoid 


152 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


loss by evaporation tbe condenser tube fitted into the graduated re¬ 
ceiving flask, which was provided with a stop-cock to draw off the 
oil at 150 deg. and again at 300 deg. Note was also taken of the 
proportions boiling within each range of 25 deg., but these details 
are not published in the tables given herewith. The fraction be¬ 
tween the initial boiling point and 150 deg., constituting the gaso¬ 
line fraction, and the fraction between 150 deg. and 200 deg., con¬ 
stituting the kerosene fraction, were examined as to specific gravity 
with a picnometer. The residuum was weighed as soon as cool; then 
its specific gravity was taken in the usual way and the volume cal¬ 
culated. As will be noted, the total thus obtained for the different 
fractions includes the sum of all variations in the determinations. 
This total for many samples slightly exceeds 100 per cent, but for a 
greater number is considerably below that amount, owing to the 
presence of water—in fact, the percentage of water is thus rather 
clearly indicated. 

The method of Kramer and Bottcher was used for determining 
the unsaturated hydrocarbons present in the crude oil and in the 
distillate between 150 deg. and 300 deg. The amount of gasoline 
was in many samples too small for systematic determination of the 
percentage of unsaturated hydrocarbons in it. The method consists 
in shaking 25 cubic centimeters of the crude petroleum with 25 
cubic centimeters of sulphuric acid of specific gravity 1.83, cor¬ 
responding to ordinary pure sulphuric acid, about the equivalent of 
that used in petroleum refining. The acid and oil are shaken in a 
small flask with a long neck, the neck holding 25 cubic centimeters. 
The flask is then filled with strong sulphuric acid until the oil 
which remains uncombined with the acid can be measured in the 
neck of the flask. The loss in volume between the original 25 cubic 
centimeters and the oil which remains undissolved by sulphuric 
acid is taken to represent the unsaturated hydrocarbons. 

Paraffin wax was determined by the Engler-Holde method, two 
parts of absolute alcohol and one part of absolute ether being used 
as the solvent, from which the paraffin wax is precipitated on 
cooling to — 20 deg. C. The asphalt was determined by Holde’s 
method, by weighing off 1 gram of residuum and shaking this with 
40 cubic centimeters of gasoline which was free from unsaturated 
hydrocarbons and which boiled between 65 deg. and 95 deg. C. 
After shaking this is allowed to stand for forty-eight hours and the 
precipitated asphalt is dissolved in benzol, dried at 105 deg., and 
weighed. 

Without any detailed discussion of the results, which are given 
clearly enough in the following tables, it is hoped that these analy¬ 
ses will be of considerable use to the producers and the geologic 
students of the individual pools. The main purpose of the examina¬ 
tion is to afford a comparison of the oils of this region with the 
oils from other parts of the United States. 


ANALYSES 

OF 

PETROLEUM FROM 
OKLAHOMA 


Serial No. 

* 

Location of well. 

Number of well. 

Depth of well (feet). 

Location of pool. 





Tulsa County 

1 

J. I. Yorgee lease, Robt. Galbreath, Tulsa 

3 

638 

Red Fork Pool. 

2 

. do . 

5 

601 

.do. 

3 

Van Yorgee lease, Robt. Galbreath, Tulsa 

1-7 

1240 

.do. 

4 

Missouri Lincoln Trust Co. lease, L. E. 





Mallory & Son, Tulsa. 

I 

1200 

.do. 

5 

Pump station ait Red Fork, Prairie Oil 





and Gas Co., Independence, Ivans. 

* 


.do. 

6 

Prairie Oil and Gas Co., Tulsa, Bird 



Tulsa County 


Creek district . 



Bird Creek and 

7 

N. Chisholm lease, Creek & Indiana In- 



Skiatook pools. 


vestment Co., Sperry. 

I 

1420 

.do. 

8 

. do . 

4 

1200 

.do. 

9 

Smith lease, Shawnee Oil Co., Sperry. 

1 

1408 

Skita.ook pool. 

10 

. do . 

4 

1412 

.do. 

11 

Chisholm lease, Shawnee Oil Co., Sperry. 

2 

1466 

.do. 

12 

Grace Berryhill lease, Oklahoma State 





Oil Co., Iviefer. 

9-13 

1500 

Glenn pool. 

13 

Pittman farm, sec. 7, T. 17 N., R. 12, Ar- 





gue & Compton, Tulsa. 

11 

1500 

.do. 

14 • 

Pump station, Prairie Oil and Gas Co., 





Kiefer . 



.do. 

15 

Thos. Berryhill lease, Indiana Oil and 





Gas Co., Kiefer.,. 

7 

151S 

.do. 

16 

Wm. Berryhill lease, Indiana Oil and 





Gas Co., Kiefer. 

15 

1529 

.do. 

17 

W. B. Self lease. Prairie Oil and Gas Co., 





Tulsa . 

23 

1523 

.do. 

18 

. do . 

7 

1553 

.do. 

19 

Corndoffer lease, sec. 18, T. 16, R. 12, 



\ 


Swasey Oil Co., Fort Worth, Texas. 

1 

2340 

Mounds pool. 





Okmulgee County 

20 

Prairie Oil and Gas Co., Morris. 



Morris pool. 

21 

Meridian lease, Brown Oil and Gas Co., 





Morris . 

1 

1600 

.do. 

22 

. do . 

4 

1600 

.do. 

23 

Buchanan lease, Burns & Caton, Morris 

1 

1680 

Bald Hill pool. 

24 

J. W. Buchanan lease, J. Harmon. Morris 

1 

1703 



l 



Muskogee County. 

25 

Evans lease, Julia Oil Co., Muskogee. 

1 

1553 

Muskogee pool, 


I 



new field. 

26 

. do . 

3 

1473 

.do.. 

27 

K. Stevens lease, Success Oil and Gas 





Co., Muskogee . 

2 

1558 

.do. T , 

28 

J. W. Siebold lease, Success Oil and Gas 





Co., Muskogee . 

1 

1574 

.do.. 

29 

Fort Worth Development Co. lease, of 





Richmond Development Co., Muskogee. 

1 

1702 


30 

G. W. Sadler lease, Huckleberry & Co., 





Muskogee . 

3 

1735 

.do. 

31 

Prairie Oil and Gas Co.. Muskogee. 




32 

Pioneer Oil and Gas Co., Muskogee. 

1,2,3 

1000 

Muskogee pool 





old field 

33 

Connolly well, P. Connolly, Muskogee. 


1000 

.do. 

34 

Reeves well, P. Connolly, Muskogee. 


1000 

.do. 





Seminole County 

35 

Wewoka Realty and Trust Co., Wewoka 

1 

1625 

Wewoka pool. 

36 

Ricketts lease, Whitewater Oil and Gas 



Kiowa County 


Co.. Gotebo . 

2 

365 

frOtphn nnnl 


‘Samples for which no well number is shown 

were 

collected from pipej 














































































































Physical properties 

Distillation by Engler’s method. 

Un sat¬ 
urated 
hydro¬ 
car¬ 
bons 

Paraffin (per cent). 

Asphalt (per cent). 

Gravity 
at 60° P. 

Color. 

>—S 

b 

c 

By volume. 

Tol 

50° C. 

150 

300 

° o 

PS- 

Resi¬ 

duum 

m 

Total (cubic cen¬ 
timeters). 

Specific. 

Degrees 

Baume. 

c 

A 

2 

« 

G 

bi 

o> 

02 


Crude (per 

cent). 

150° to 300° 
per cent). 

Cubic cen¬ 
timeters. 

Specific 

gravity. 

£ ir. 
g g 

G 0) 

at 

■2 £ 

3 —5 

O 

Specific 

gravity. 

Cubic cen¬ 

timeters. 

Specific 

gravity 

0.8368 

37.3 

Green . 

88 

15.0 

0.7195 

36.0 

0.7945 

48.5 

0.9073 

99.5 

22.4 


2.60 

0.0 

.8323 

38.2 

Dark green.. 

93 

9.0 

.7220 

40.5 

.7814 

48.5 

.9038 

98.0 

17.6 

i 

4.39 

.0 

.8413 

37.3 

- do . 

90 

14.0 

.7352 

37.0 

.7992 

48.9 

.8855 

99.9 

22.4 

2 

6.37 

.05 

. 835S 

37.5 

Black . 

97 

8.0 

.7268 

44.5 

.7882 

47.0 

.9021 

99.5 

14.4 

3 

3.92 

.35 

.8594 

32.9 

— do . 

110 

4.0 

.7430 

38.0 

.7948 

55.8 

.9103 

97.8 

18.4 

1 

4.88 

.15 

.8626 

32.3 

Dark green.. 

120 

2.0 

. 

37.5 

.8070 

60.6 

.9003 

100.1 

29.2 

6 

7.30 

.28 

.8495 

34.8 

— do . 

100 

7.0 

.7380 

38.5 

.8018 

52.8 

.9021 

98.3 

29.2 

9 

2.S7 

.62 

. 8563 

33.5 

.... do . 

122 

T. 


40 .5 

.8030 

57.0 

.9021 

97.5 

14.0 

11 

8.41 

.42 

.8480 

35.1 

— do . 

95 

6.0 

.7348 

37.0 

.7898 

54.9 

.9032 

97.9 

14.8 

7 

7.35 

.23 

.8439 

35.9 

— do . 

98 

5.0 

.7440 

36.0 

.7858 

58.8 

.8997 

99.8 

12.8 

10 

9.74 

.50 

.8328 

37.1 

— do . 

68 

11.0 

.7142 

32.5 

.7968 

51.8 

.8974 

93.3 

13.2 

10 

6.66 

.14 

.8459 

35.5 

Black . 

112 

7.5 

.7464 

42.0 

.7980 

50.0 

.9061 

99.5 

21.2 

6 

5.41 

.11 

.8459 

35.5 

— do . 

105 

8.5 

.7566 

42.0 

.8001 

49.9 

.9032 

100.4 

22.8 

r? 

( 

6.98 

.45 

.8464 

35.4 

.... do . 

100 

4.5 


46.0 

.794° 

49.9 

.9032 

100.4 

27.6 

9 

5.99 

.24 

.8439 

35.9 

_ do . 

105 

S.O 

.7508 

44.5 

.8008 

48.0 

.9091 

100.5 

20.8 

6 

7.53 

.90 

.8333 

38.0 

— do . 

80 

11.5 

.7260 

43.5 

.7964 

45.3 

.9079 

100.3 

21.6 

4 

11.46 

.35 

.8373 

37.2 

_ do . 

94 

10.0 

.7328 

41.0 

.7968 

47.6 

.9021 

98.6 

16.8 

5 

3.12 

.21 

.8424 

36.2 

_ do . 

98 

10,0 

.7402 

42.5 

.7990 

47.6 

.9079 

100.1 

26.4 

6 

9.70 

.51 

8631 

32 2 

Bright green 

175 



38.5 

.8126 

59.9 

.8992 

9S.4 

12.4 

4 

8.44 

.62 

.8459 

35.5 

Light green. 

112 

3.0 


34 .0 

.7924 

-32.1 

.8866 

99.1 

10.C 

1 

11.90 

.0 

.8383 

37.0 

Dark green.. 

82 

10.0 

.7260 

30.0 

.7988 

51.7 

.8861 

97.1 

13.6 

3 

9.46 

.0 

.S403 

36.6 

Green . 

75 

13.0 

.7338 

31.0 

.8008 

56.4 

.8895 

100.4 

13.2 

8 

6.75 

.10 

.8531 

34.1 

Dark green.. 

110 

5.5 

.7515 

36.0 

.8018 

58.0 

.9003 

99.5 

20.0 

8 

3.43 

.15 

8578 

33 2 

r ] r> . 

131 

1.5 


35.5 

.8096 

62.4 

.8992 

99.4 

16.4 

3 

5.70 

.76 

.8328 

38.1 

Green . 

97 

11.0 

.7332 

36.0 

.7960 

52.8 

.8866 

99.8 

15.2 

4 

7.64 

.0 

i 

c © 

39.4 

_ do . 

8 ? 

11.0 

.7218 

36.0 

.7976 

51.4 

.8855 

98.4 

16.8 

5 

6.03 

.0 

.8314 

38.4 

.... do . 

93 

12.0 

.7298 

38.C 

.79S4 

50.3 

.8861 

100.3 

15.2 

3 

2.24 

.0 

.834? 

37.8 

_ do . 

94' 

7.0 

.7316 

40.0 

.7876 

52.4 

.8861 

99.4 

16.8 

2 

1.24 

.0 

.S33? 

38.0 

_ do . 

90 

11.0 

.7090 

37.0 

.7986 

51.2 

.8861 

99.2 

16.4 

8 

1.52 

.0 

.8348 

37.7 

_ do . 

98 

5.0 

.7410 

40.0 

.7828 

54.6 

.8855 

99.6 

16.0 

4 

6.96 

.0 

.8358 

37.5 

Olive green. 

99 

3.5 

.7415 

41.0 

.7816 

55.5 

.8838 

100.0 

17.6 

2 

12,45 

.0 

.8216 

40.4 

Light olive 

110 

5.5 

.7415 

46.0 

.7812 

43.7 

.8745 

95.2 

12.0 

4 

3.88 

.0 



green. 













8 -7 79 

39 1 

.... do . 

115 

4.0 

.7520 

4S.0 

.7856 

48.4 

.8750 

100.4 

11.2 

2 

2.15 

.0 

.8328 

38.1 

_ do . 

140 

T. 

. 

46.0 

.7810 

53.2 

.8745 

99.2 

12,4 

2 

4.91 

.0 

.8844 

28.3 

Black . 

128 

1.5 

. 

30.0 

.8266 

67.3 

.9067 

98.8 

30.0 

3 

6.28 

.90 

.8480 

35.1 

Black . 

115 

3.5 

.7399 

46.5 

.7828 

51.5 

.9007 

101.5 

29.6 

15 

5.56 

1.30 


lines or pump station. 
























































































Location of pool. 


Serial No. 

1 

Location of well. 

• 

Number of well. 

Depth of well (feet). 

37 

Seney lease, Deering Oil and Gas Co., 




Gotebo . 

2 

443 

38 

Prairie Oil and Gas Co., Cleveland station 



39 

Laterette lease Test Oil Co., Cleveland... 

16 

.... 

40 

. do . 

17 


41 

. (1 o . 

15 


42 

Ohio and Indiana Oil Co., Cleveland. 

8-9 

.... 

43 

Cory lease, F. M. Martin, Cleveland. 

1 

1157 

44 

L. L. Cory lease, J. E. Martin, Cleveland 

1 

1174 

45 

Berger lease, Prairie Oil and Gas Co., 




Independence, Kansas . 

7 

1800 

46 

. do . 

4 

1750 

47 

Lowery lease, Louisiana Purchase Oil 




Co., Ceveland . 

2 

1620 

48 

. do . 

6 

1600 

49 

Prairie Oil and Gas Co., Bartlesville_ 



50 

Lease 31, Colliver Consolidated Oil Co., 




Markham & Ball, Bartlesville. 

5 

1487 

51 

. do . 

6 

1480 

52 

Lot 32, Illuminating Oil Co., Bartlesville 

20 

1500 

53 

T. 26 N., Skelton-Moore Oil Co., 




Bartlesville . 

14 

1088 

54 

Prairie Oil and Gas Co., Bartlesville. 

• • • • 


55 

T. 27,, Williams lease, Stubbs & Lowe, 




Dewey. 

4 

1200 

56 

Berger lease, Woodward & Roll, Dewey.. 

1 

525 

57 

McEwen lease, Stubbs & Lowe, Dewey.. 

5 

500 

58 

Shaler lease, Bartles Oil Co., Dewey_ 

7 

1250 

59 

Stubbs & Lowe, Dewey. 

2 

1200 

60 

(R. C. A.) Adams Oil and Gas Co., 




Washington, D. C. 

1 

1300 

61 

T. 24, R. 17, Horace M. Adams, Chelsea.. 

12 

400 

62 

. do . 

11 

400 

63 

Sec. 16, T. 24, R. 16, Steuben lease, H. M. 




Adams, Chelsea . 

38 

50u 

64 

Sec. 14, T. 24, R. 16, Bennett lease, H. M. 




Adams, Chelsea, . 

1 

498 

65 

11 

Sec. 35, T. 27, R. 16, Susan Connor lease, 




New York and Pennsylvania Oil Co., 




Nowata, . 

1 

735 

66 

Sec. 8, T. 26, R. 16, Jane Claggett lease, 




F. D. Bailey, Nowata. 

3 

750 

67 

Sec. 31. T. 27. R. 16. Wolf lease, Davis & 




Berrian, Nowata . 

1 

812 

68 

Sec. 33, T. 27, R. 16, Edgar Bean lease. Van 




Vleck & Graham Oil Co., Nowata. 

4 

830 

69 

Prairie Oil and Gas Co., Station 40, 




Nowata. 



70 

Prairie Oil and Gas Co., Station 38, 




Nowata, . 

• • • • 

• • • • 


.do. 

Pawnee County 

Cleveland pool. 

Cleveland pool in 
city limits. 

.do. 

.do. 

.do. 

Cleveland pool, Jor¬ 
dan Valley Twp. 
.do. 

.do. 

.do. 

.do. 

.do. 

Osage County. 
Bartlesville pool... 

.do. 

.do. 

.do. 

Shallow Sand pool 
Washington County 

Bartlesville pool... 
Dewey and north 
of Dewey 

.do. 

.do. 

Webber pool. 

.do. 

.do. 

Rogers County 

Alluwe pool. 

.do. 

Chelsea pool. 

.do. 

Nowata County 


Childers pool. 

.do. 

Delaware pool. 

.do. 

Delaware and Chil¬ 
ders pools. 

Nowata and Rogers 
counties. 

Shallow Sand pool. 















































































































Physical properties. 


Gravity 
at 60° P. 


o 

<C 

o 

<x> 

ft 

CO 


„ <y 

U1 c 

0) C 

Q1 r- 

be £ 
S>fC 


Color. 


Distillation by Engler’s method. 


U 

o 


r - < 

O 

X2 


m 

C 

’So 

Ol 

cq 


By volume. 


To 150° C. 


C m 
o u 
o o 

o 

SE 

6- 


o 

S 

’3 

O' 

ft 

CO 


be 


300° C. 
150° C. 


S £ 

U 3 
c tu 
S c 


V. 

£ > 
o rt 

O l* 

a O 
co 


Resi¬ 

duum 


i 

x «j 
o u 

o o 

t) ® 

s £ 

—> •—I 

U 


» i. 

r 4-i •>- 
i, 

I. ^ 


i 

d 

0) 

c 


•S'w 
d s- 
o o 

_ <15 

5 s 

O 4J 
E-l 


Unsat 

urated 

hydro¬ 

car¬ 

bons 


u 

o 

ft 

<15 , 


Q> 


u 


o> 

o 

u 

Ol 

ft 

c 

<c 

CTJ 

t- 

rrf 


c 

O) 

o 

0) 

ft 


-ft 

ft 

ui 

< 


.8552 

33.7 

- do . 

128 

2.0 

•••••• 

40.0 

.8485 

35.0 

Black . 

97 

10.0 

.7428 

37.5 

.S516 

34.4 

Dark green.. 

100 

9.5 

.7794 

35.0 

.8542 

33.9 

- do . 

115 

2.5 

.7705 

40.0 

.8515 

34.4 

_ do . 

103 

7.0 

.7586 

36.0 

.8516 

34.4 

_ do . 

117 

4.5 

.7670 

39.0 

.8464 

35.4 

.... do . 

110 

5.0 

.7530 

44.0 

.8463' 

36.6 

_ do . 

108 

7.5 

.7398 

44.5 

.8383 

36.9 

_ do . 

80 

10.0 

.7200 

43.5 

.8605 

32.7 

_ do . 

120 

1.0 

.7603 

41.0 

.8459 

35.5 

_ do . 

85 

15.5 

.7452 

36.0 

.8669 

31.5 

_ do . 

140 

T. 

. 

39.5 

.8584 

33.1 

Dark green.. 

130 

3.0 

.7625 

39.0 

.8521 

34.3 

Black . 

115 

3.0 

.. 

43.5 

.8505 

34.6 

_ do . 

105 

3.5 

.7499 

42.0 

.8547 

33.8 

Dark green.. 

113 

3.5 

.7574 

44.0 

.8398 

36.7 

Black . 

76 

11.5 

.7101 

35.0 

.8521 

34.3 

Dark green.. 

103 

8.0 

.7378 

37.0 


39 7 

rlo 

103 

3.0 


42.0 

.8772 

29.6 

Black . 

128 

1.0 

.8549 

32.0 


no - 

rl n . 

. 80 

9.5 

.7299 

28.0 

.8368 

37.3 

Dark green.. 

70 

13.0 

.7214 

32.0 

.S4S5 

35.0 

_ do . 

98 

6.0 

.7339 

40-0 

.8547 

'33.8 

_ do . 

95 

7.5 

.7559 

39.0 

.8413 

36.4 

Dark green.. 

67 

10.0 

.7134 

33.0 

.8413 

36.4 

Greenish blk 

65 

15.0 

.7245 

32.0 

.8511 

34.5 

_ do . 

80 

13.5 

.7148 

31.0 

.8516 

34.4 

Dark brown 

97 

6.0 

.720C 

35.0 

.8449 

35.7 

Dark green.. 

80 

14.C 

.7415 

33,0 

.8439 

35.9 

_ do . 

78 

11.0 

.7270 

36.0 

.8493 

34.8 

Bight green. 

65 

16. E 

.7435 

35.0 

.8424 

36.2 

Dark green. 

81 

9.C 

.7181 

38.5 

.8500 

34.7 

Dark brown 

107 

3.( 

. 

42.0 

.8537 

34. C 

Black . 

10( 

• 7.( 

) .7381 

0 39.0 


.7884 

56.9 

.9186 

98.9 

57.2 

3 

5.01 

.31 

.8074 

53.2 

.89S0 

100.7 

34.8 

5 

6.06 

.20 

.8166 

55.4 

.8980 

99.9 

38.4 

3 

7.75 

.03 

.8060 

55.4 

.8992 

97.9 

35.2 

2 

6.63 

.15 

.8124 

56.4 

.8980 

99.4 

39.2 

2 

7.86 

.81 

.8060 

55.9 

.8980 

99.4 

34.8 

2 

6.62 

.30/ 

.7992 

48.8 

.8974 

97.8 

32.4 

3 

5.55 

.05 

.7882 

48.5 

.8974 

100.5 

33.2 

5 

5.59 

1.18 

.7978 

47.4 

.9056 

100.9 

38.8 

7 

5.42 

1.12 

.8030 

56.9 

.8969 

98.9 

20.4 

12 

5.68 

.92 

.8119 

49.4 

.9032 

100.9 

26.4 

.... 

4.38 

.82 

.8139 

60.7 

.9038 

100.2 

25.2 

4 

7.26 

.63 

.8116 

58.7 

.8980 

100.7 

25.2 

2 

5.27 

.18 

.7818 

54.0 

.8992 

100.5 

20.4 

9 

2.73 

1.00 

.7808 

51.5 

.9044 

97.0 

30.8 

12 

2.61 

1.34 

.7868 

52.4 

.9009 

99.9 

21.0 

.... 

7.90 

1.12 

.7869 

51.9 

.9050 

98.4 

21.2 

8 


1.26 

.8090 

54.5 

.9038 

99.5 

24.4 

4 

3.75 

.23 

.8008 

55.7 

.9103 

100.7 

18.8 

1 

6.07 

.47 

.7972 

63.3 

.9024 

96.3 

38.0 

2 

3.50 

1.43 

.796S 

58.5 

.9241 

97.0 

34.8 

• • • • 

3.68 

1.26 

.8008 

51.9 

.9067 

97.9 

20.8 


3.01 

.94 

.7928 

53.9 

.9079 

99.9 

.20.5 

11 

6.81 

.99 

.8128 

53.1 

.8906 

99.6 

30.8 

14 

2.26 

.85 

.7915 

54.2 

.9091 

97.2 

21.2 

9 

6.14 

.55 

.7995 

50.1 

.9168 

97.1 

23.2 

9 

2.89 

4.01 

.8035 

54.8 

.9168 

99.3 

26.0 

8 

9.10 

1.26 

.7924 

54.6 

.9272 

95. t 

26.4 

13 

4.16 

2.19 

.8035 

51.2 

.9090 

98.2 

38.4 

1C 

4.51 

.75 

.802- 

51.1 

.9091 

98.1 

22.( 

7.E 

4.59 

.93 

.8195 

47. 

.9154 

0° 

) 18.< 

! 

4.19 

1.69 

,796f 

51.( 

.913! 

99.: 

L 12.! 

3 1( 

8.23 

1.74 

.791! 

? 49.! 

i .910! 

94. 

3 24. 

> 

3 4.4J 

.26 

.803 

4 53. 

3 .910. 

3 99. 

8 24. 


3 3.0 

4 .12 































































































X. 



THE NATURAL GAS SITUATION 

The development of the natural gas resources has 
been considered in connection with the oil development of 
the different pools so this matter needs no further consid¬ 
eration. Some brief statements as to the general condi¬ 
tions of the industry should be made. 

In the early days of the oil development piping the 
gas from the State was prohibited and there was little 
demand for home consumption since there were practi¬ 
cally no manufacturing industries in the Territory. As a 
result vast quantities of gas were wasted. Many gas wells 
were left open in the hope that they would drill them¬ 
selves into oil, and no effort was made to conserve any of 
the gas produced by wells also producing oil. 

The remarkably low rates at which gas was offered 
soon induced manufacturing enterprises to enter the field 
and when early in 1909 the law prohibiting the piping of 
gas from the State was repealed the production and value 
of the gas began to grow by leaps and bounds. 

At present the demand for gas is such that straight 
gas wells are almost never allowed to run wild, and in few 
cases is it necessary to plug them to await a market. The de¬ 
velopment of the smelting industry at Bartlesville and 
Collinsville, and of glass manufacturing at Okmulgee and 
Tulsa has created a large home consumption. The supply 
in the pools in the extreme northern portion of the field 
has been drawn upon so heavily to supply the markets in 
Kansas and Missouri that many of the wells are rapidly 
taking water and both capacity and pressure are decreas¬ 
ing with corresponding rapidity. Many of the older pools 
are undoubtedly past their prime, but the discovery of 



THE NATURAL GAS SITUATION 


159 


new wells in proven territory and the development of such 
isolated pools as those in Coal County, at Poteau in Le- 
. lore County and at Duncan and Loco in Stephens County 
indicate that the supply of the State as a whole is by no 
means approaching exhaustion. 

There is still great waste of gas in connection with 
the wells producing both gas and oil. The situation in the 
United States in regard to the waste of gas is summarized 
by David T. Day in Mineral Resources of the United States 
foi 1911, Part I, published by the United States Geological 
Survey. Since practically all of his remarks are applica¬ 
ble to Oklahoma they are given in full. 

WASTE OF NATURAL GAS. 

“Recent literature on natural gas has been limited chiefly to 
essays on the magnitude of its waste. They have been timed, per¬ 
haps, for some sensational effect, but have been of slight importance 
as suggestive of methods of preventing waste. 

“In contrast in this respect has been the increasing investment 
of large amounts of capital by the producers of gas, always with a 
view to checking waste and to rendering useful and profitable a 
larger and larger percentage of the total yield from the ground. The 
effect of these costly conserving efforts has been sufficient to limit 
the various kinds of waste to those for which there is some definite 
reason—that is, where some formidable obstacle is offered to the 
conservation of the gas. 

“The chief causes of the waste of natural gas are as follows: 

“1. Free escape of the gas from natural gas ivells that have not 
been closed in .—A few years ago the development of any gas field 
with strong pressure Avas sure to result in one or more wild wells 
with great waste of gas, caused by inability to shut in the well. The 
waste thus caused has been so enormous as to stimulate great in¬ 
genuity in developing means of controlling such wells, so that it is 
not likely any gas wells of this character will in the future remain 
uncontrolled more than thirty days after being struck—even this 
length of time will be most exceptional. Only one wild well of this 
character now remains. This is one of the first wells drilled in the 
Caddo field. Its pressure has greatly diminished. No good excuse 
can be offered for the continued failure to close it, inasmuch as the 
companion wild well, not far distant in the Caddo field, was finally 
closed without any considerable difficulty. The obstacle to closing 
this wild well in the Caddo field is simply the cost involved as com¬ 
pared to the gain to the company owning the well. Unquestionably, 
the well should be closed. If this cannot be done by invoking the re¬ 
cent state law, community interests should subscribe the necessary 
outlay for the general benefit of the field. 

“2. Free escape of gas from oil wells. —This is the greatest cause 
of gas waste in the United States. It is a normal incident of great 
importance in the opening of nearly all oil fields. In the opening 
stage of development of an oil and gas region, the situation is entirely 


160 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


in the hands of the oil man, as opposed to the gas man. The oil man’s 
sympathy concerning the* conservation of gas is distinctly a negative 
quantity, because of his belief that if the gas be allowed to escape, 
oil will usually follow it in the hole. This has been frequently the 
case; but quite as frequently salt water has followed the gas, with 
serious damage to the field. This free escape of gas from oil wells 
also remains as a continuing factor through the entire life of the 
field, for, in contrast to the great gas pressure frequently found in 
the opening of an oil field, the pressure later on is too small to yield 
an amount of gas that can be sold at great profit hence the oil man 
allows it to escape. 

“The obstacle to the saving of this ‘casing-head’ gas consists in 
the interference during the process with the production of oil, and 
weight for weight or dollar for dollar the oil produced is generally 
very much greater than the gas. 

“As to a remedy, legislation has been enacted in many states com¬ 
pelling a saving of this gas. Frequently this legislation has been so 
drastic in character as to prevent its practical enforcement. Reason¬ 
able laws controlling this waste can be enforced. This has been 
shown particularly in Indiana. An example has been given in Okla¬ 
homa of too drastic laws, leading to poor enforcement of any state 
regulations. Altogether, the most hopeful remedy that has been put 
into force in recent years consists in the co-operation of gas com¬ 
panies, by which much of this casing-head gas and that from isolated 
gas wells in oil fields is turned over at a profit by the oil man to the 
gas company. Again, the increased value of this casing-head gas in 
most oil fields, as a source of gasoline, is also aiding its conservation. 
Undoubtedly, increased technical efficiency will lead (as at present 
in a few localities in Pennsylvania) to the extraction of crude oil and 
gas from the same well by pumping under partial vacuum for the pur¬ 
pose of extracting the natural gas, gasoline, and even small quantities 
of heavier oils, which are volatilized under this greatly diminished 
pressure. 

“3. Abuse of gas by the use of its pressure to drive steam engine in 
oil fields .—This form of waste has been dealt with so severely by leg¬ 
islation that it has practically ceased to exist, as has also the follow¬ 
ing abuse. 

“4. Abuse by jetting the gas into oil wells for the purpose of a gas 
lift instead of an air lift in oil production .—The objection met with by 
the would-be conserver of natural gas in this case is that where there 
is no immediate market for gas, it is considered to have no value. 
The oil producer considers the waste in this manner as absolutely 
justified, and he takes the risk of punishment in temporarily continu¬ 
ing these practices. The remedy in most cases consists simply in an 
application of existing law. 

“5. Wasteful installation of gas burners and lights in oil well drill¬ 
ing .—The temporary character of this work and the great necessity 
for a plentiful supply of fuel and for abundant lighting of the well 
practically takes this out of the category of waste. It is an emer¬ 
gency means to a worthy end, and the waste has been greatly exag¬ 
gerated and calls for little remedial notice. 

“6. Waste by selling at flat rate .—The idea prevails that waste of 
natural gas is a simple matter, consisting of a leakage of gas from the 
earth in many gas wells. Several very important items of waste 
however, are due to the consumers after the gas has been carefully 


THE NATURAL GAS SITUATION 


161 


gathered from the wells and after it has become more valuable by 
transportation to the point of consumption. 

Under the form of sale at flat rate there is no incentive to eco¬ 
nomical use and the objection to economizing the gas can only be met 
by metering the production. In Kansas and other places where the 
supply is becoming inadequate, the abolition of the flat rate must be 
put into effect rapidly. 

“7. Waste from open grates, insufficient furnaces, improperly ad¬ 
justed mixers, and other causes, by consumers .—The waste in consump¬ 
tion is most reprehensible because the gas is worth more per unit 
than at any oil field, all of the gas supplied has an abundant market, 
and the supply is usually less than the demand. The best way to 
remedy this waste is through agitation in the public press and by 
most careful efforts on the part of the distributing company, and this 
"waste can be remedied if the consumption be made more efficient 
The supply in most gas regions of the United States could thus be 
doubled, and there would be fewer cases of deficient supply. 

“8. Overheated buildings .—This especial form of consuming a 
wasteful quantity of gas deserves most careful consideration, and its 
remedy lies in education toward better sanitary conditions of resi¬ 
dences and factories.” 

The magnitude of the natural gas industry in Oklaho¬ 
ma and its rapid development are shown in the following 
table: 


RECORD OP NATURAL GAS INDUSTRY IN OKLAHOMA, 1906-1911. 



Gas produced. 

Gas consumed. 

Wells. 

Year 

Number 1 


Number of 


Drilled. 

Pro- 


of pro- 

Value 

consumers. 

Value 



ductive 


ducers 


Dom- 

Indus- 




Dec. 31. 




estic 

trial 


Gas 

Dry 


1906 

50 

$ 259,862 

8,391 

202 

$ 247,282 

81 

33 

239 

1907 

107 

417,221 

11,038 

277 

406,942 

99 

41 

a344 

1908 

115 

860,159 

17,567 

356 

860,159 

73 

40 

b374 

1909 

131 

1,806,193 

32,907 

1,527 

1,743,963 

97 

35 

454 

1910 

168 

3,490,704 

38,617 

1,557 

1,911,044 

93 

58 

509 

1911 

204 

6,731,770 

44,854 

1,507 

2,092,603 

303 

143 

718 


alncludes 87 wells “shut in” in 1907. blncludes 100 wells “shut in” in 1908. 


NATURAL GAS AS A SOURCE OF GASOLINE. 

In the past few years a great deal of attention has 
been attracted to the manufacture or rather extraction of 
gasoline from natural gas. In discussing the nature of 
oil and gas, it was shown that these substances are made 
up of a series of similar chemical compounds. The simpler 
members of the series are gaseous, more complex are liquid 
and solid. There is thus a number of the compounds 
which are near the line between liquid and gaseous; that 
is a small change in temperature or pressure or both may 

































162 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


be sufficient to change the liquid to a gas or vice versa. 
Gasoline is composed of compounds of this sort and the 
lighter ones easily take on a gaseous form with a slight 
raise in temperature or a lessening of the pressure. 

In the extraction of gasoline from natural gas, the 
gas is usually subjected to considerable pressure at low 
temperatures. Some gases will give gasoline on being 
cooled without an increase in pressure. The heavier por¬ 
tions of the gas are thus condensed to a light gasoline, 
while the larger portion of the gas, the simplest members 
of the series of hydrocarbons are not affected. Ordinarily 
2 to 4 gallons of gasoline per 1,000 feet of gas are obtained 
but some gases produce as much as 10 gallons per 1,000 
feet. Another method of obtaining gasoline from gas is 
by the vacuum process or gas pump. The discussion of 
the methods used in the extraction cannot be gone into 
here. Those interested in the subject are referred to Bul¬ 
letin TO of the United States Bureau of Mines, which can 
be obtained by writing the Director of the Bureau at 
Washington, D. C. By the end of 1911 there were 8 plants 
extracting gasoline from natural gas in Oklahoma with a 
daily capacity of 4,800 gallons. The total production was 
388,058 gallons extracted from 144,629.000 cubic feet of 
gas, an average yield of 2.68 gallons per 1,000 cubic feet 
of gas. Other plants were added in 1912 and several 
others are proposed. The following plants are now oper¬ 
ating : 

List of companies producing natural gas gasoline. 


Operator. Location. 

Alluwe Oil Co.Delaware, Okla. 

Arkansas Oil Co.Sapulpa, Okla. 

C. El Shoenfelt, Blair Oil Co.Muskogee, Okla. 

J. G. Bradstreet .Muskogee, Okla. 

Chestnut & Smith .Keifer, Okla. 

Oklahoma Oil Co.Keifer, Okla. 

Consumers Ref. Co.Cushing, Okla. 

T. W. Franchot .Keifer, Okla. 

Gasoline Ref. Co.Muskogee, Okla. 

P. F. Smith . Sapulpa, Okla. 

Oklahoma Gasoline Mfg. Co.Keifer, Okla. 













THE NATURAL GAS SITUATION 163 

Oklahoma Natural Gas Co.Mounds, Okla. 

Oklahoma Petroleum & Gas Co.Keifer, Okla. 

White Turkey .Dewey, Okla. 

Producers P. L. Co.Alluwe, Okla. 






XI. 


TRANSPORTATION 

In the early days of the petroleum industry in the 
United States the methods of transportation were very 
crude. The crude oil was placed in barrels holding about 
40 gallons, and hauled directly to market or to some navig¬ 
able stream down which they were floated on barges. 
With the growth of the industry the tank-car came into 
use. The first tank-car consisted of an ordinary car 
truck with two tub-like tanks, each holding about 2,000 
gallons. The modern cylindrical tank-car was introduced 
in 1871. 

Attempts to transport oil through pipe lines were 
made as early as 1862, but the first lines were poorly con¬ 
structed, so that the leakage was excessive, and it was not 
until 1865 that a line with sufficiently good joints was 
built to render this method of transportation really prac¬ 
ticable. The use of pipe lines has increased very rapidly 
since that time, until by far the greater part of the pro¬ 
duction is transported by this means. The tank-car, how¬ 
ever, is still used extensively. 

The pipe lines are usually laid in straight lines from 
the producing fields to the refineries. The oil from the 
storage tanks at the wells is collected through small pipes 
into large tanks at the central receiving station. From 
these tanks it is forced into the large trunk lines by 
pumps of the Worthington type. Pumping stations are 
located along the line at appropriate intervals. 

Almost all petroleum contains considerable quantities 
of paraffin, which collects in the pipes and would soon clog 
them if it were not removed. The removal is accomplished 
by means of a “go-devil,” an instrument which is forced 
through the pipes by the flow of the oil and which auto¬ 
matically scrapes the paraffin from the inside of the pipe. 


TRANSPORTATION 


165 


The noise made by the scraping of the “go-devil” can be 
heard above the ground. As the instrument passes 
through the pipe it is followed above ground by a man on 
foot who must keep constantly in hearing of the machine, 
so that if it should be stopped by any cause, it can be lo¬ 
cated without taking up long sections of the line. 

In Oklahoma the first pipe lines were built by the 
Prairie Oil and Gas Company as extensions of their lines 
in Kansas. These lines carry the oil from the producing 
fields to refineries in Kansas and connect with the com¬ 
pany’s trunk lines to Whiting, Indiana, and to the eastern 
refineries. 

In 1907 the field was entered by the Gulf and Texas 
companies from the south. These lines were each over 400 
miles in length and were built with record breaking rapid¬ 
ity. The trunk line of each company is an 8-inch line. 

The Gulf Pipe Line extends from the pumping station 
at Watkins in the Glenn pool to Sour Lake and Port Ar¬ 
thur, Texas. A second pumping station is located at Cham¬ 
bers, Okla., and others are at Leoni, Big Sandy, Lufkin, 
and Sour Lake in Texas. The distance between pumping 
stations varies from 78 to 91 miles. The line is practi¬ 
cally straight throughout its length. The building of such 
a line presented many engineering difficulties, especially 
in the southern part of Oklahoma, where the trench for 
considerable distance had to be blasted from solid rock. 
In this region the pipe had to be hauled as far as 20 miles 
from the railroad and, in many instances, the sections of 
pipe, weighing 600 pounds, had to be carried a mile or 
more on the shoulders of the laborers on account of the 
roughness of the country. In spite of these and other dif¬ 
ficulties the line was constructed at an average rate of two 
miles per day and was completed on schedule time. The 
capacity of the line is 14,000 barrels daily and 15 days are 
required to transport oil the entire length of the line; 5 
days of which are required to relay the oil through the 
pumping stations. 

The line of the Texas Company begins at Tulsa and 
extends southward through Henryetta, Stuart, and Arm¬ 
strong, Okla., crosses Red River at Denison and continues 


166 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


through Sherman, Dallas, Corsicana, Concord, Bobbin, and 
Humble, Texas, to Port Arthur and Port Neches. The line 
was built during 1907, requiring practically a full year 
for completion. The daily capacity is from 17.000 to 18,- 
000 barrels. 

The line of the Oklahoma Pipe Line Company was 
built in 1910. This line is an 8-inch line, which gives ac¬ 
cess to the coast at Baton Rouge, La. The capacity of the 
line is rated at 17,500 barrels per day. The territory 
traversed by this line is even rougher than that crossed 
by the line of the Gulf Company and its construction was 
even a more difficult engineering feat than that of the 
older line. 

The investment of these companies in Oklahoma is 
very large. The following table gives a synopsis of the 
lines and tanks owned by the Texas, Gulf, and Oklahoma 
Companies as reported to the State Corporation Commis¬ 
sion in 1911. The report for the Prairie Oil and Gas Com¬ 
pany is not given: 

COST OF THE TEXAS COMPANY’S PIPE LINES AND STORAGE TANKS 

IN OKLAHOMA. JUNE 11. 1911. 

Cost of pipe lines. 


Line. 

Miles. 

Size 

of 

pipe. 

Average 
cost per 
mile. 

Total 
cost 
of line. 

Red River to West Tulsa. 

167.62 

8 in. 

$6,652.14 

6,782.44 

5,935.38 

3,528.66 

4,233.18 

4,250.31 

$1,115,032.19 

156,267.64 

213,732.96 

21,348.42 

60,703.76 

105,748.90 

Stuart-Coalgate loop . 

23.04 

8 in. 

West Tulsa-Bartlesville . 

36.01 

8 in. 

Bald Hill-Okmulgee . 

6.05 

6 in. 

West Tulsa-Bird Creek. 

14.34 

6 in. 

Bartlesville-Nowata . 

24.88 

6 in. 


Total length of lines. 271.94 miles. Total cost of lines. $1,672,833.87 

Cost of Storage Tanks. 


Location. 

Number 
of tanks 

Cap’y 

barrels. 

Average 

cost. 

Total 

cost. 

West Tulsa . 

i 38 

37,500 

$ 9,953.95 

$378,250.00 

West Tulsa . 

' 2 

55,000 

10,966.65 

21,933.30 

West Tulsa . 

6 

6,000 

2,424.32 

14,545.93 

West Tulsa . 

10 

2,000 

1,311.01 

13,110.12 

West Tulsa . 

1 

1,000 

1,007.86 

1,007.86 

West Tulsa . 

8 

500 

1,128.32 

9,026.61 

Henryetta . 

4 

37,500 

10,500.00 

42,000.00 

Armstrong . 

2 

37,500 

10,500.00 

21,000.00 

Bird Creek . 

12 

55,000 

10,473.21 

120,878.61 

Keifer . 

10 

55,000 

11,274.40 

112.744.04 

Bald Hill . 

1 

37,500 

8,971.51 

8,971.51 

Bald Hill . 

1 

25,000 

7,256.43 

7,256.43 

Muskogee . 

1 

55,000 

11,822.68 

11,822.68 

Sapulpa . 

2 

55,000 

6,480.38 

12.960.76 

Bartlesville . 

2 

37,500 

8,311.80 

16,623.61 


Total cost of storage tanks, $792,131.46. \>* 

Total cost of pipe lines and storage tanks, £2,464,965.33. 














































TRANSPORTATION 


167 


COST OF PIPE LINES AND PUMPING STATIONS OF GULF PIPE LINE 

COMPANY, DECEMBER 30, 1910. 

Watkins Station to Red River. 

115.21 miles of main line. 


Cost of pipe. $898,339.10 

Cost of right of way, laying pipe, etc. 1S9,296.12 

Telegraph and telephone lines. 79,856.47 

Pumping stations . 500,652.29 

Watkins station .$ 91,323.10 

Grayson station . 142,597.85 

Chambers station . 139,226.26 

Ten mile station. 127,505.08 


Total .$1,668,143.98 


W'atkins Station to Kelly Station. 

Cost of pipe. $322,225.65 

Cost of right of way, laying pipe, etc. 70,204.66 

Telegraph and telephone lines. 24,248.51 

Pumping stations . 39,000.93 

Other equipment . 45,893.36 


Total .. $501,573.11 

Total for lines and pumping stations in Oklahoma.$2,169,717.09 


COST OF PIPE LINES AND PUMPING STATIONS OF OKLAHOMA PIPE 

LINE COMPANY, JUNE 20, 1911. 


Main line, 152.15 miles. 

Gathering lines 48.21 miles. 

Pumping stations . 

Council Hill station.... 

Kinta station . 

Wood station . 

Hamilton station . 

Bald Hill station. 

Morris station . 

Muskogee station . 

Timber Ridge station 


.$1,025,568.97 

. 134,842.82 

. 537,408.65 

$165,493.51 

149,919.40 

171,355.71 

12,026.08 

10,781.78 

7,081.31 

14,366.40 

6,384.46 


Total 


$1,697,820.44 


The total cost of the equipment of the three companies 
in Oklahoma in 1911 was thus: $6,332,502.86. The invest¬ 
ment of the Prairie Oil and Gas Company and of the private 
lines of the larger oil companies and the independent re¬ 
fineries will easily bring the total investment in pipe lines 
in the state to $7,500,000.00. 

In addition to the oil, the investment in gas pipe lines 
is considerable. According to the report of the State Cor¬ 
poration Commission for 1911, the amounts invested in 
pipe lines by the larger natural gas companies are as fol¬ 
lows: 

Oklahoma Natural Gas Company.$1,442,918.18 

Caney River Gas Company. 398,145.26 

Galbreath Gas Company. 31,649.16 

Osage and Oklahoma Gas Company . _o2,044.o.j 

Henry Gas Company. 124,995.29 


Total 


$2,229,752.21 








































XII. 


REFINING* 

The refining of petroleum is a comparatively simple 
process. As has been shown in the section on the nature 
of petroleum, the crude oil consists of a mixture of a 
large number of similar compounds of different boiling 
points. The refining consists simply in separating the dif¬ 
ferent compounds by heating the crude oil. As the tem¬ 
perature is raised the lighter oils with lower boiling points 
come off first, and as the temperature is raised compounds 
of successively higher boiling points and specific gravities 
are driven off. By condensing the vapor as it comes from 
the still the crude oil can be separated into almost any 
number of fractions. 

The separation is usually made into naphtha, gasoline, 
kerosene, lubricating oils and residuum. The percentages 
of each product differ widely with different crude oils. 
Many intermediate products are made for special pur¬ 
poses. The residuum is principally paraffin or asphalt, 
depending on the nature of the crude oil. The asphaltic 
residuum has found wide application in road making. 

The Oklahoma crudes differ widely in composition 
as has already been shown. The crude from the Wheeler 
sand is the lightest found in the State and produces 40 
per cent of gasoline. The crude from the Wheeler field 
near Ardmore contains no gasoline and a very high per¬ 
centage of asphalt. The oil from the Muskogee pool con¬ 
tains practically no asphalt. The oil from the pipe lines 
in the northeastern part of the State, representing a mix- 


*For the notes on the refining of Oklahoma oils the writer is in¬ 
debted to Mr. E. N. Bowen of the Oklahoma National Refining Com¬ 
pany. 



REFINING 


169 


ture of crudes from different pools, contains about 12 per 
cent gasoline, and 25 per cent kerosene. Most of the 
smaller refineries manufacture only gasoline and kerosene, 
and run the rest through to asphaltic oil for streets aid 
or to fuel oil. The refineries using the Muskogee crude 
also make a series of lubricating oils. Lubricating oils are 
also manufactured from the ordinary Oklahoma crude by 
the National Refining Company at Coffeyville, Kansas. 
The manufacturers claim these to be equal if not superior 
to those made from Pennsylvania crude. 

Large amounts of Oklahoma crude are carried to re¬ 
fineries in Kansas, Indiana and the eastern States by the 
pipe lines of the Prairie Oil and Gas Company and to re¬ 
fineries in Texas and Louisiana by the lines of the Texas, 
Gulf and Oklahoma pipe line companies. The refineries 
of the Cudahy and National Companies are also large 
users of Oklahoma. 

There are also several independent companies opera¬ 
ting or under construction in the State. The following 
list gives the names of these companies with the location 
and daily capacity of their refineries: 


LIST OF TH*E PETROLEUM REFINERIES IN OKLAHOMA. 


Name of Company. 

Chelsea Refining 1 Company.Chelsea . 

Milikan Refining Company. . .Vinita . 

Phoenix Refining Company.Sand Springs . 

Waters-Pierce Oil Company.Sand Springs . 

Constantine Refining Company.Tulsa . 

Texas Oil Company.Tulsa . 

Uncle Sam Oil Company_.'....Tulsa . 

Cosdon Refining Company.Tulsa . 

Sapulpa Refining Company.Sapulpa . 

American Refining Company. Okmulgee . 

Indianahoma Refining Company.Okmulgee . 

Oklahoma City Refining Company.Oklahoma City 

Southwest Refining Company.Bigheart . 

Ponca City Refining Company.Ponca City .... 

C. B. Shaffer.Cushing . 

Brown Refining Company.Cushing . 

Cleveland Petroleum Company.Cleveland . 

Muskogee Refining Company.Muskogee . 

Cudahy Refining Company.Muskogee . 

Coalton Refining Company.Coalton —.— 

Magnolia Oil Company.Oklahoma City 


Daily 

Cap’y, 

Bbls. 

.... 800 
.... 1000 
.... 4000 
.... 5000 
.... 1000 
.... 5000 
.... 600 
.... 3000 
.... 4000 
.... 3000 
.... 800 
,... 600 
.... 750 

.... 500 

.... 3000 
.... 500 

.... 500 

.... 1000 
.... 500 

.... 200 
Proposed 


The local refineries last year consumed 15 or 16 per 
cent of the production, but when those under construction 
are completed over 80 per cent of the present production 
will be refined in the State. 












































XIII. 


REVIEW OF CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES 


In the following paragraphs an attempt is made xu 
give a brief review of the conditions in relation to oil and 
gas for each county in the State. It is impossible to dis¬ 
cuss each county fully, as this would involve endless repe¬ 
tition. The location of the county is given with respect 
to the geologic provinces so that those interested in a 
particular county may easily turn to the discussion of the 
area or areas in which it lies. Any variations in a county 
from the conditions of the areas as a whole are noted 
fully. The counties containing the principal pools are 
merely noted as being described in connection with the de¬ 
scription of the oil and gas fields. 

Adair County is entirely in the Ozark Mountain re¬ 
gion and the discussion of the area as a whole applies to 
the county with very little modification. The Boone chert 
outcrops over practically the whole county and consequent¬ 
ly any search for oil and gas must be made with the Idea 
of penetrating this formation which is the Mississippi 
lime of the drillers. Since commercial quantities of oil 
or gas have never been found in or below the Mississippi 
lime in the Ozark region, prospecting in this county can¬ 
not be recommended. 

Alfalfa County lies entirely in the Redbeds area and is 
at considerable distance from the eastern outcrop so 
that the thickness of the beds is probably about 1,000 feet. 
This condition, coupled with the fact that the surface rocks 
are very soft and give no exposures from which the struc¬ 
ture can be determined, makes it highly improbable that 
oil or gas in commercial quantities will be found in the 
county. 

Atoka County is situated in the southeastern part of 
the State. The western part of the county is included in 


REVIEW BY COUNTIES 


171 


the Arbuckle Mountain region, the northern in the Penn¬ 
sylvanian area south of Arkansas River, the northeastern 
in the Ouachita Mountain region and the southern in the 
Cretaceous area. The only part of the county in which the 
prospects for oil and gas are at all good is the north-central. 
However, the structures which are regarded as favorable 
for accumulation in Coal County to the north die out be¬ 
fore they reach Atoka County, so that the prospects cannot 
be regarded as very encouraging even here. The rocks in 
the portion of the county in the Ouachita Mountain region 
are so faulted that there is no chance of finding oil and gas 
in them. In the Cretaceous area, especially near the Ar¬ 
buckle Mountains, it is possible that some small deposits 
may be found, but no surface indications are given as to the 
more probable localities. 

Beaver County lies in the westward extension of Okla¬ 
homa known as the Panhandle. The surface rocks are most¬ 
ly Tertiary sands and clays. These are underlaid at a depth 
of at most a few hundred feet by the Redbeds, which are 
exposed in the deeper canyons. The depth to which drill¬ 
ing would have to be carried to reach the base of the Red- 
beds is certainly prohibitive and consequently there is no 
indication whatever that oil or gas will be found in the 
county. The same remarks apply to the other Panhandle 
counties, Texas and Cimarron, and to Ellis County. 

Beckham County is wholly in the Redbeds area and the 
probable thickness of the red rocks is so great as almost 
to preclude the possibility of finding oil and gas beneath 
the surface. 

Blaine County lies northwest of the center of the State. 
It is entirely in the Redbeds area and the red rocks are 
certainly over 1,000 feet thick beneath the county. The 
only ledges of rock which can be traced very far are some 
gypsum beds, and these give no indication of structure 
favorable for accumulation. The chances, then, for finding 
either oil or gas in Blaine County are extremely small. It 
is reported in the newspapers, however, that funds have 
been raised to drill a test well near Watonga. 

Bryan County lies entirely in the Cretaceous or Red 
River limestone area and the discussion of the prospects 
for oil and gas in that area applies in full to the county. 


172 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


Caddo County is situated southwest of the center of the 
State. All the county except a very small area in the south¬ 
west part is in the Redbeds area and over most of the 
county these beds are too thick for the region to be consid¬ 
ered as favorable for oil or gas. The southwestern portion 
is near the Wichita Mountains and some small deposits 
may be found in this part of the county. The conditions 
would be very similar to those of the Loco and Duncan de¬ 
velopments in Stephens County. 

Canadian County lies just west of the center of the 
State and is entirely in the Redbeds region. A deep well 
recently drilled at El Reno showed the Redbeds to be 1,700 
feet thick and gave no promise of oil or gas. The condi¬ 
tions make the discovery of any quantity of either sub¬ 
stance extremely improbable. 

Carter County is in the south-central part of the State. 
The northeastern part of the county is in the Arbuckle 
Mountains and the western portion in the Redbeds area 
Most of the portion south of the mountains is underlaid by 
rocks of Pennsylvanian age and the extreme southeastern 
part by the Trinity sand of the Cretaceous or Red River 
region. The rocks of the county outside the Redbeds area— 
and the small area of Trinity sand—are so badly folded 
and faulted that the presence of oil or gas in quantity is 
very improbable. These older rocks pass out under the 
Redbeds area and the Trinity sand which lie almost level. 
The conditions in this part of the county are discussed fully 
under the Redbeds area and also in connection with the 
Wheeler field which is in this county. 

Cherokee County is situated in the northeastern part 
of the State. The greater part of the county is in the 
Ozark Mountain region and the Boone chert is the surface 
rock of large areas. The southwestern part of the county 
is in the Pennsylvanian area and the shales and sandstones 
of the Winslow formation form the surface rocks. The 
finding of oil or gas in the county is highly improbable ex¬ 
cept in the southwestern portion and even here the chances 
cannot be regarded as favorable on account of the shallow 
depth of the Boone chert (Mississippi lime) and the fault¬ 
ing which is quite common. 

Choctaw County. See discussion of Bryan County. 


REVIEW BY COUNTIES 


173 


Cimarron County. See description of Beaver County. 

Cleveland County lies just south of the center of the 
State. It is entirely in the Redbeds area and the thickness 
of the red rocks is probably so great as to throw the county 
out of the possible oil and gas territory. A test well is 
now being drilled in the northeastern part of the county. 

Coal County lies in the southeastern part of the State. 
The prospects for oil and gas are rather fully discussed 
under the heading of Coal County in the section on Oil and 
Gas Development Outside the Main Field. 

Comanche County is in the southwestern part of the 
State. A large part of the county is in the Wichita Moun¬ 
tain region and the remainder is underlaid by Redbeds, 
which form a covering of at most a few hundred feet in 
thickness over the older rocks. Oil and gas have been 
found east of Lawton and it is entirely possible that other 
deposits may be found near the base of the Redbeds at a 
little distance from the mountains. 

Cotton County lies immediately south of Comanche 
and is entirely in the Redbeds region. The Redbeds, how¬ 
ever, are probably not sufficiently thick to make it impracti¬ 
cable to reach their base. The general geologic conditions are 
similar to those of the Electra-Petrolia region in northern 
Texas and, if the structure can be determined to be favor- 
able, the area is worthy of prospecting. The preliminary 
report on the structure of a part of the county is given in 
connection with the discussion of the prospects for oil and 
gas in the Redbeds. 

Craig County is in the northeastern part of the State. 
The extreme southeastern part of the county is in the 
Ozark Mountain region. The Bartlesville sand outcrops in 
the county near Welch and is probably farther to the north¬ 
west deeply enough buried to act as a reservoir if the struc¬ 
ture is favorable. Only the northwestern townships of this 
county can be regarded as very favorable for prospecting. 

Creek County is considered in the Sapulpa and Cush¬ 
ing districts in the section on the Main Oil and Gas Field. 

Custer County is entirely in the Redbeds area and is so 
far west that the red rocks are undoubtedly several hundred 
feet thick. Deep wells drilled at Clinton have shown noth¬ 
ing encouraging to further prospecting and the county can- 


174 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


not but be regarded as extremely unfavorable territory for 
oil and gas. 

Delaivare County lies entirely in the Ozark Mountain 
region and the entire surface is underlaid by the Boone 
chert (Mississippi lime) except some very small areas in 
the deeper valleys. The prospects for oil and gas in the 
Ozark Mountain region have been considered in a previous 
section. It may be repated here that no oil or gas has yet 
been found in the Boone chert of the rocks beneath it and 
that therefore the prospects in this county are very poor. 

Dewey County lies immediately north of Custer County 
and the statements made concerning that county apply also 
to Dewey. There is practically no chance of finding oil or 
gas in the county. 

Ellis County. See discussion of Beaver County. 

Garfield County lies entirely in the Redbeds area. The 
thickness of the red rocks almost certainly exceed 1,000 feet 
and the surface rocks are so soft that there are no resist¬ 
ant ledges to permit the structure to be worked out even if 
it exists. These conditions make the county very unfavor¬ 
able territory in which to prospect for oil and gas. A 
deep well was drilled near Enid some years ago without 
results and the city of Enid is now drilling another test. 

Garvin County lies principally in the Redbeds area. In 
the western part the Redbeds are too thick for the terri¬ 
tory to be regarded as favorable for prospecting. In the 
eastern part where the Redbeds are thin or absent and 
along the south side near the Arbuckle Mountains the con¬ 
ditions are more favorable, but no definite localities can 
be pointed out as better than any others. 

Grady County lies southwest of the center of the State 
and is entirely in the Redbeds area. On account of the 
thickness of the Redbeds and the soft nature of the sur¬ 
face rocks which makes it difficult if not impossible to de¬ 
termine the structure, if any is present, the county must 
be regarded as extremely unfavorable territory for oil or 
gas. 

Grant County lies under the eastern limit of the Red¬ 
beds area along the north line of the State. The thickness 
of the Redbeds in the eastern half of the county is not 


REVIEW BY COUNTIES 


175 


great enough to prohibit drilling to the underlying Red 
Rocks. However, the surface rocks are so soft and so 
deeply covered by soil that no structure can be made out. 
Consequently any development will have to proceed on a 
strictly wildcat basis. If the sands which are productive 
at Ponca City field extend west under Grant County they 
would be found at depths of 800 to 1,000 feet greater than 
at Ponca City, which would place the deeper ones practi¬ 
cally out of reach. In view of these facts Grant County 
must be considered as unfavorable territory for prospect¬ 
ing, although it is not impossible that extensive wildcat- 
ting in the eastern part of the county may develop some 
paying wells. 

Greer County lies in the southwest portion of the State 
and, except for a few small hills of granite, is entirely in the 
Redbeds area. Only the northwestern part of the county, 
near the Wichita Mountains, can be regarded as even tol¬ 
erably favorable for prospecting. The development at 
Granite in this region is described in a previous section. 

Harmon County is in the extreme southwestern corner 
of the State. All the surface is underlaid by Redbeds to 
undetermined denths. Jn view of the distance of the 
county from the Wichita Mountains it is extremely improb¬ 
able that the base of the Redbeds is at a practicable drill¬ 
ing depth. The surface rocks are soft and give little or 
no opportunity to determine the structure. Consequently 
there is practically no chance of finding oil or gas in this 
county. 

Harper County is in the northwester^ part of the 
State. The Redbeds underlie the whole county to an un¬ 
determined depth and there are no indications of structure 
favorable for the accumulation of oil and gas. There is, 
therefore, practically no chance of finding either oil or gas 
in the county. 

Haskell County is in the east central part of the State 
in the area of Pennsylvanian rocks south of Arkansas 
River. The general geologic conditions are favorable for 
the occurrence of oil and gas and at least three anticlinal 
folds are known in the county. (See Plate II). The Mil- 
ton anticline crosses the southern part of the county with 
the axis lying very near the Rock Island Railway. The 


176 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


Blaine anticline extends southwestward from Blaine to 
beyond Sansbois and the Enterprise anticline crosses the 
northwestern townships. Haskell County, therefore, can 
be considered as lying entirely in the probable oil and gas 
field. 

Hv.ghes County lies east of the center of the State. It 
is entirely in the area of Pennsylvanian rocks south of 
Arkansas River. The nature of the rocks is apparently 
favorable for the occurrence of oil and gas. No detailed 
work has been done on the structure, but it is very proba¬ 
ble that such work will show favorable localities for pros¬ 
pecting. At the present the whole county must be considered 
as being in the probable oil and gas field, but the more likely 
places for prospecting cannot be selected. 

Jackson County lies in the southwestern part of the 
State and is entirely in the Redbeds area. The greater 
part of the county is at considerable distance from the 
Wichita Mountains and hence cannot be considered as fav¬ 
orable oil and gas territory. The extreme eastern portion 
may be considered in the possible filed. A deep well drilled 
at Altus sometime ago was without result. Oil has recent¬ 
ly been reported from a well at Greta, but the report has 
not been substantiated. 

Jefferson County is situated in the extreme southern 
portion of the State. The Redbeds form the surface rocks 
of the entire county. The Loco oil and gas pool, in Steph¬ 
ens County, is only a short distance north of the county 
line, so that Jefferson County must be considered as possible 
oil and gas territory. In general the probability of finding 
considerable deposits decreases from north to south across 
the county. 

Johnston County is principally in the Arbuckle Moun¬ 
tain region and the chances for finding oil or gas are ex¬ 
tremely poor. The southern part of the county is under¬ 
laid by the Trinity sand in which the oil is found in the 
Madill pool. The sand does not attain sufficient thickness 
in this county, however, to make the presence of large 
bodies of oil probable. 

Kay County is considered at some length as the Kay 
County District in the section on the Main Oil and Gas 
Field. 


REVIEW BY COUNTIES 


177 


Kingfisher County is situated northwest of the center 
of the State and lies entirely in the Redbeds region. As is 
the case with the other counties in this region there is lit¬ 
tle evidence of structure, although there are some indica¬ 
tions of an anticline near Okarche. The thickness of the 
Redbeds is so great that the probabilities for the discovery 
of oil and gas are very small. 

Kiowa County is in the Wichita Mountains and Red¬ 
beds regions in the southwestern part of the State. The 
portion of the county to the north of the mountains is in 
possible oil and gas territory and there is some develop¬ 
ment at Gotebo which has been described in a previous sec¬ 
tion. In the portion in the Wichita Mountains the discov¬ 
ery of oil or gas is extremely improbable. 

Latimer County lies in the east-central part of the 
State just west of LeFlore County. The rocks are those of 
the Pennsylvanian area south of Arkansas River in the 
northern part of the county and those of the Ouachita 
Mountains in the southern part. The Ouachita Mountain 
portion of the county cannot be considered as probable oil 
and gas territory, although it is possible that some deposits 
may be found in the region. The northern part of the coun¬ 
ty is in the probable oil and gas area. The rocks are the 
Pennsylvanian shales and sandstones and the structure is 
favorable for accumulation in some localities. The eastern 
end of the McAlester anticline enters the county from the 
west where Gaines Creek crosses the county line, and ex¬ 
tends east about 10 miles, a point about 2 or 3 miles south 
of Wilburton, where the fold dies out. South of Patterson 
a branch of the anticline turns north and extends almost 
to that town. The fold is not symmetrical, the northern 
side or slope having much steeper dips than the southern 
and being in places almost vertical. The Brazil anticline 
is in the extreme northeastern part of the county. Brazil 
Creek flows very nearly on the axis of this fold from the 
head of the creek to where it crosses the line into LeFlore 
County. This is a low fold with fairly gentle dips. The 
valley of Brazil Creek should consequently be a favorable 
locality for prospecting. The extreme eastern portion of 
the Adamson anticline reaches the northwestern part of the 
county in the northeast part of T. 2. N., R. 17 E. 


178 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


LeFlore County lies in the extreme eastern part of the 
State along the Arkansas line. The southern part of the 
county lies in the Ouachita Mountain region and the north¬ 
ern part in the area of Pennsylvanian rocks south of Ar¬ 
kansas River. The rocks exposed in the southern part are 
the Standley shale and the Jackfork sandstone and those 
in the northern part are the Caney shale, Atoka forma¬ 
tion, Hartshorne sandstone, McAlester shale, Savanna for¬ 
mation, and the Boggy shale. The surface of the entire 
county is quite hilly except in the stream valleys. As has 
been said in the discussion of the area, the Ouachita Moun¬ 
tain region cannot be considered as a probable oil and gas 
area so the southern part of LeFlore County is not thought 
to be a favorable locality for prospecting. The northern 
part of thq county, however, appears to be at least worthy 
of prospecting. The rocks are of the sort favorable for the 
occurrence of oil and gas and there is an abundance of fold¬ 
ing which should afford chances for accumulation. The 
approximate location of the anticlines is shown on the map 
(PI. II) in connection with the discussion of the structure 
of the area. The Howe anticline starts near the St. Louis 
& San Francisco Railroad in the northwest part of T. 15 
N., R. 23 E., and extends almost due east for about 15 miles 
to a point about 3 miles south and a little west of Howe, 
then extends considerably north of east to a point about 
midway betweeen Howe and Monroe, where the anticline 
splits, one branch extending a little north of east past Mon¬ 
roe to the Arkansas line. The other branch, known as the 
Gilmore anticline, extends north from the fork to a point 
between Poteau and Gilmore, where it swings to the east 
and passes out of the State. The Poteau gas field is situ¬ 
ated along this anticline. Both branches of the anticline 
are low broad folds. The syncline between them is known 
as Sugarloaf syncline from Sugarloaf Mountain, which is 
produced by the structure. 

The Backbone anticline branches from the Milton an¬ 
ticline about 5 miles west of Bokoshe and extends a little 
south of east past that town about to the line between Tps. 
24 and 25, where it merges with the Backbone fault. This 
fold is narrow and flat in the western part where the dip 
of the sides is from 5 to 10 degrees. To the east the fold 


REVIEW BY COUNTIES 


179 


becomes sharper and the dip becomes especially sharp on 
the south side where it is as much as 25 degrees. 

The Brazil anticline is a low fold on which Brazil 
Creek flows. It enters LeFlore County from Latimer near 
the northeastern corner of the latter county and extends 
northeast past Walls and Brazil. About the center of T. 

8 N., R. 23 El, it merges with the Backbone anticline. 

The Milton anticline enters the county about midway 
between McCurtain and Milton and extends east-northeast 
to the Arkansas River south of Redland. West of Bokoshe 
the fold forks the one branch extending east is the Back¬ 
bone anticline and the branch extending on to the northeast 
is known as the Redland anticline. The anticline is in gen¬ 
eral a low, narrow fold. 

While there have been no phenomenal developments in 
LeFlore County, the northern part of the county must be 
considered as promising territory. The nature of the rocks 
and the structure are favorable in several localities and the 
gas field at Poteau proves that there are considerable 
quantities of gas at any rate in the underlying rocks. No 
oil has as yet been encountered, but the conditions are such 
as to render its presence in some of the folds probable. 

Lincoln County lies northeast of the center of the State. 
The eastern margin of the Redbeds lies east of the middle 
of the county so that the greater part is in the Redbeds 
area. The red rocks are thin except in the extreme west* 
ern part of the county and the whole area must be consid¬ 
ered in the probable oil and gas field, but the probabilities 
of finding large bodies of either substance decrease rapidly 
from east to west across the county. The structure has not 
been fully worked out, but there are good indications of 
structure favorable for accumulation in the eastern part 
of the county. 

Logan County lies north of the center of the State. It 
is entirely in the Redbeds area, but the thickness of the 
Red rocks in the eastern part of the county is probably not 
great enough to prevent development of oil or gas deposits 
in the underlying rocks. The chances for finding such de¬ 
posits, however, are small at best and decrease rapidly 
from east to west across the county. The principal product- 


180 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


ive sands of the fields to the east are at practically prohibit¬ 
ive depths beneath Logan County. 

Love County is situated in the extreme southern part 
of the State, principally in the Cretaceous region. While 
there is a possibility that some oil or gas may be found in 
the Trinity sand the distance from the Arbuckle Mountains 
renders the chances very small and the county as a whole 
cannot be regarded as favorable territory for prospecting. 

McClain County is situated south of the center of the 
State. The county is entirely in the Redbeds area and the 
conditions are almost precisely similar to those of Cleve¬ 
land County, which has been described. 

McCurtain County is in the extreme southeastern cor¬ 
ner of the State. A belt about 12 to 20 miles wide along 
the southern edge of the county is in the Red River lime¬ 
stone region and the remainder is in the Ouachita Moun¬ 
tain region. The prospects of oil and gas in each of these 
regions have been discussed rather fully in a previous sec¬ 
tion and the discussion need not be repeated here. The 
county must be regarded as improbable territory in which 
to find oil and gas. It is possible that detailed geologic 
work may prove the existence of areas in which prospect¬ 
ing would be justified, but no such areas can be designated 
at present. 

McIntosh County lies in the east central part of tne 
State. It is entirely in the region of Pennsylvanian rocks 
south of Arkansas River, and is consequently in the proba¬ 
ble oil and gas field. Some of the folds which are prominent 
farther east probably extend into McIntosh County, but 
their locations cannot be given. There has been some de¬ 
velopment in the northwestern part of the county. 

Major County lies in the northwestern part of the 
State. It is entirely in the Redbeds area and is far re¬ 
moved from the eastern margin and from the Arbuckle and 
Wichita Mountains that the thickness of the red rocks is 
very great, probably in excess of 1,500 feet. The only ledges 
of rock which can be traced for any considerable distance 
are the gypsums on the south side of Canadian River and 
these lie practically level and show no indications of minor 


REVIEW BY COUNTIES 


181 


structure favorable for accumulation. There is practically 
no possibility of finding oil or gas in the county. 

Marshall County lies entirely in the Cretaceous or Red 
River limestone area. The Madill oil field is in this county. 
The prospects for oil and gas are given fully under the dis¬ 
cussion of the Madill pool and the prospects in the- Red 
River limestone area. 

Mayes County lies in the northeastern part of the State. 
The eastern part of the county is underlaid by the Boone 
chert and there is almost no chance of finding oil or gas 
east of the M., K. & T. Railway. In the western part of the 
county there is a possibility that some small deposits may 
be found in the sands immediately above the Mississippi 
jh,me, but the principal sands of the main field outcrop to 
the west of the county. 

Murray County lies in the south-central part of the 
State. The greater part of the county is in the Arbuckle 
Mountain region and is consequently poor territory for 
oil and gas. Some development may be made in the region 
just north of the mountains, but even here the prospects 
cannot be considered encouraging. 

Muskogee County contains the Muskogee oil pool 
which is described in another section. The extreme north¬ 
eastern part of the county is in the Ozark Mountain region. 
All the rest of the county lies in the probable oil and gas 
territory. 

Noble County is in the north-central of the State. All 
the county except the extreme northeastern part is in the 
Redbeds area. The remarks on the conditions in Lincoln 
and Logan Counties are applicable to Noble. Some drilling 
has been done, so far without success, and other wells are 
in prospect. 

Noivata County is in the northern part of the main oil 
and gas field and has been considered fully under the head 
of the Nowata District. 

Okfuskee County is situated to the east and a little to 
the north of the center of the State. The same sands which 
are productive near Okmulgee and Henryetta almost cer¬ 
tainly underlie Okfuskee County, although they will be 
found at a greater depth than farther to the east. From 


182 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


some very hasty trips in the county it appears that the 
structure is favorable for accumulation. The whole county 
then must be considered as probable oil and gas territory, 
although not enough work has been done to make it possible 
to pick out the more favorable localities for prospecting. 
The development of the Okmulgee district has extended 
westward into the extreme northeastern part of Okfuskee 
County. A good gas well has been found at Okemah. A 
few dry holes have been drilled, but not enough to condemn 
any great area of the county. Prospecting is active at 
present and several wells are drilling or located. Practical¬ 
ly the entire county is under lease. 

Oklahoma County is about the center of the State. It 
is entirely in the Redbeds area and the red rocks are prob¬ 
ably over 1,000 feet thick over the whole county. There 
are no surface indications of structure. The chances for 
finding oil and gas are, therefore, extremely small. A well 
was drilled near Spencer some years ago without finding 
anything of promise. A well is now being drilled at 
Oklahoma City. 

Okmulgee County is considered as the Okmulgee Dis¬ 
trict in the section on the main oil and gas field. 

Osage County is considered as the Osage District in 
the section on the main oil and gas field. 

Ottawa County lies in the extreme northeastern corner 
of the State.. The rocks of the greater part of the county 
are the Mississippian rocks of the Ozark Mountains. The 
Boone chert occupies practically all of the county east of 
Spring and Grand Rivers. The northwestern part of the 
county is in the area of Pennsylvanian rocks, but only the 
basal portion of the Cherokee shale outcrops. The Bartles¬ 
ville sand outcrops a considerable distance to the west of 
the county line. The prospects for finding oil and gas in 
the county are not favorable. It is possible that drilling 
in the extreme northwest portion might find some small 
deposits in the sandstones and limestones in the Chester, 
the upper formation of the Mississippian. 

The presence of an asphalt deposit north of Miami and 
of heavy bitumen in the lead and zinc mines in the same 
vicinity prove these rocks to be petroliferous. If the struc- 


REVIEW BY COUNTIES 


183 


ture is favorable farther to the northwest, the covering of 
shale is probably of sufficient thickness to form a good cap 
and to prevent the escape of the oil to the surface. It is 
improbable, however, that any very large deposits exist in 
this county. 

Pawnee County is considered under section on the main 
oil and gas field. 

Payne County lies to the southwest of Pawnee. All the 
county except the extreme northeastern portion is in the 
Redbeds area. The Cushing field is in Creek County just 
east of the county line and the recent developments have 
extended to the westward into Payne County. Some drill¬ 
ing has been done at the town of Cushing, at Ripley and at 
Stillwater, but the wells were not sufficiently deep to test 
the territory. The eastern part of the county is regarded 
as probable oil territory, but the chances decrease rapidly 
to the west. 

Pittsburg County lies principally in the Pennsylvanian 
area south of Arkansas River and must be considered as 
probable oil and gas territory. The county is crossed by 
the Savanna, McAlester and Milton anticlines as shown in 
Plate II. The gas field which has been discussed as the 
Coal County field extends into Pittsburg County. The 
southeastern portion of the county is in the Ouachita Moun¬ 
tain region and is very unfavorable for oil and gas. 

Pontotoc County lies southeast of the center of the 
State. The greater part of the county is in the Pennsylva¬ 
nian area and is in the probable oil and gas field. A large 
area in the southern part of the county is in the Arbuckle 
Mountains and the prospects for oil and gas are very poor. 

Pottaivatomie County lies just southeast of the center 
of the State. With the exception of small areas in the east¬ 
ern part, the county is in the Redbeds area. The red rocks 
thicken rapidly to the west and are probably over 1,000 feet 
thick in the western portion of the county. The chances for 
oil and gas are not very favorable, although there is a pos¬ 
sibility that the eastern part of the county may prove pro¬ 
ductive. 


184 


PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS 


Pushmataha County lies almost entirely in the Ouachi- 
to Mountain region, and in the present state of our knowl¬ 
edge this region must be regarded as very unfavorable ter¬ 
ritory in which to prospect for oil or gas, although it is pos¬ 
sible that detailed work will show that part of the area is 
at least worthy of prospecting. The conditions in the Ouachi¬ 
ta Mountains are discussed in some detail in a previous 
section. 

Roger Mills County , like the adjacent counties in the 
Redbeds area in the western part of the State, cannot be 
considered as at all favorable territory for prospecting for 
oil and gas. 

Rogers County lies in northeastern Oklahoma and is 
entirely in the probable oil and gas field. There is consider¬ 
able development at different points in the county. (See 
the description of the Coody’s Bluff-Alluwe and Collinsville 
pools.) 

Seminole County is discussed fully in the section on 
oil and gas development outside the main field. 

Sequoyah County lies principally in the Ozark Moun¬ 
tain region and the prospects for oil and gas are very poor. 
A belt along the south side of the county is in the Pennsyl¬ 
vanian area and is in the probable oil and gas field. Some 
gas has been found at Vian. 

Stephens County is in south-central Oklahoma. It is 
entirely in the Redbeds area, but is between the Arbuckle 
and Wichita Mountains, so that the prospects for oil and 
gas at shallow depths are good. The Loco and Duncan 
fields, which have been described, are in this county. 

Texas County. See discussion of Beaver County. 

Tillman County lies in the Redbeds area in the south¬ 
western part of the State. The Electra field in Texas is 
directly across Red River from Tillman County and the 
conditions are apparently the same in the Oklahoma as on 
the Texas side of the river. The discussion of the structure 
of the eastern part of the county is given under the section 
on the oil and gas prospects in the Redbeds. 


REVIEW BY COUNTIES 


185 


Tulsa County is included in the Tulsa and Sapulpa dis¬ 
tricts in the section on the main oil and gas field. 

Wagoner County is situated in the northeastern part 
of the State. The northeastern corner of the county is in 
the Ozark Mountain region and the Mississippi lime under¬ 
lies most of the eastern part at so shallow a depth that the 
finding of oil or gas in quantity is very remote. The west¬ 
ern part of the county is within the probable field and there 
is some development in different localities in this part of 
the county. 

Washington County is considered as the Bartlesville 
district in the section on the main oil and gas field. 

Washita County is underlaid entirely by a considerable 
thickness of Redbeds and no structure favorable for accu¬ 
mulation of oil and gas has been made out. 

Woods County lies entirely in the Redbeds area and the 
Redbeds are probably over 1,000 feet thick under the whole 
county. The eastern part of the county has very little rock 
outcropping and the heavy ledges of gypsum in the west¬ 
ern part show no indications of structure favorable for oil 
and gas accumulation. The deepest well so far drilled in 
the State is at Alva. Nothing to encourage further pros¬ 
pecting was found in drilling this well. The Redbeds were 
passed through at a depth of about 1,100 feet. The county 
cannot be considered as at all favorable territory for pros¬ 
pecting for oil and gas. 

Woodward County lies immediately southwest of 
Woods County. There are no indications whatever of oil 
or gas in commercial quantities beneath the surface of the 
county. 




INDEX 


Accumulation of oil and gas_ 15 

—theories of _ 15 

Adair County, conditions_170 

Adair pool _ 91 

—opening of _ 81 

Alfalfa County, conditions__ 170 

Altamont limestone _ 47 

Anticlinal theory of accumulation_ 15 

Anticline, arrested _ 17 

—definition of _ 6 

—location of well on_ 34 

—relation to deposits of oil or gas_ 12 

Arbuckle limestone ___9, 56, 58 

Arbuckle mountains -67, 70 

—occurrences of oil near-143 

—relation to Wichita region- 58 

Arbuckle Mountain region-57, 66 

—location _ 55 

—history_ 55 

—structure —- 57 

Asphalt deposits _ 67 

—as an indication of oil or gas- 29 

—in Wichita mountains- 66 

Atoka County, conditions- 170 

Atoka, development near- 76 

Atoka formation _ 51 

Avant-Ochelata pool, description-118 

—well log - 121 

Backbone anticline- 118 

Backbone fault - 118 

Bald Hill pool_ HI 

Bandera shale _ 41 

Bartlesville district - 91 

Bartlesville, operations near- 16 

Bartlesville pool - 64 

Basin, definition of- 6 

Beaver County, conditions- 111 

Beckham County, conditions- HI 

Beggs pool -------H4 

Bennington limestone - 59 










































188 


INDEX 


Bird Creek-Flat Rock pool. 

—description - 

—well logs ... 

—well record --- 

Blackwell ... 

Blaine County, conditions- 

Boggy shale —-- 

Bokchito formation - 

Boone chert- 

Boone formation - 

Brazil anticline - 

Bryan County - 

Bryan County, conditions- 

Burgen formation - 

Burgen sandstone _ 

Buxton formation _ 

Caddo county, conditions- 

Caddo limestone - 

California Creek pool 

—descripion _ 

—well log _ 

Canadian County, conditions_ 

Canary pool 

—description _ 

—well log _ 

Caney shale _ 

Cap rock _ 

Carter County, conditions- 

Chattanooga shale_ 

Cherokee County, conditions_ 

Cherokee formation __ 

Choctaw County, conditions_ 

Choctaw Oil and Refining Company_ 

Cimarron County, conditions_ 

Cleveland County, conditions_ 

Cleveland field 

—description _ 

—producing sands _ 

—well record _ 

—well logs _ 

Cleveland pool, first well_ 

Coal County, conditions_ 

Coal County development_._ 

Coalgate anticline _ 

Coalgate gas field_ 

Coffeyville formation_ 

Collinsville pool 

—description _ 

—well log___ 


_103 

_104 

_104 

_134 

_171 

_ 51 

_ 59 

_ 63 

_ 41 

_179 

_69, 171 

_171 

_ 41 

_63, 64 

_ 47 

_172 

_ 59 

_ 89 

_ 91 

_172 

_ 92 

_ 93 

_ 57 

_ 12 

_172 

.9, 41, 63 

_172 

...44, 53 

__172 

_- 76 

_173 

_173 

_ 122 

_123 

_123 

_125 

_ 77 

— 141, 173 

-141 

_142 

.. 65 

----- 47 

_104 

-107 














































INDEX 


189 


Comanche County conditions_ 173 

Goody’s Bluff-Alluwe pool._ 64 

—description _ 84 

—table, average initial capacities_ 86 

—table, well record_ 86 

—typical well logs_ 86 

Goody’s Bluff field opened_ 77 

Copan pool 

—description _ 93 

—well logs _ 95 

—well record _ 95 

Cotton County_ 71, 173 

Craig County, conditions_ 173 

Creek County, conditions_ 173 

Cretaceous region _58-67- 143 

Cretaceous rocks - 67 

Cudahy Oil Company lease_'--- 76 

Cushing district 

—description _ 126 

—producing sands _12 7 

—well log _ 128 

Cushing field-- 64 

—discovery of _ 81 

Custer County, conditions-173 

Delaware-Childers pool - 64, 80 

—description - 88 

—typical well log- 89 

—well record and initial production. _•- 89 

Delaware County, conditions- 174 

Development outside main field- 136 

Dew’ey Bartlesville pool 

—description - 95 

—productive sands - 97 

—gas wells - 98 

—well logs - 98 

—well record - 190 

Dewey County, conditions- 114 

Dewey limestone - 41 

Dewey pool opened- 18 

Dip, definition -- 6 

Dip of rocks, relation to depth of well- 36 

Districts, geological, of Oklahoma- 39 

Dome, definition of- 9 

Duncan field - H 

Duncan and Loco, development- 81 

Duncan pool -148 

Elgin sandstone- 48 

Ellis County conditions- 174 

Fault, definition..... 7 

Fields, main, description of—.—---- 84 
















































190 


INDEX 


Five Civilized Tribes, history of development in- 75 

Formation, definition - 9 

Fort Scott formation---9, 46 

Fossils_8, 64, 65 

Franks conglomerate- 57 

Garfield County, conditions- 174 

Garvin County, conditions-174 

Gasoline, natural gas as source of- 161 

Gasoline, list of producers-- 162 

Gasoline, proportion to heavier oils- 11 

Gas pipe lines _ 167 

Geologic conditions in Oklahoma- 63 

Geology, as an aid in prospecting_ 31 

Gilmore anticline _ 178 

Glenn formation - 57 

Glenn pool 

—description _ 107 

—well logs _ 1C 9 

—well record _ 110 

»# 

—production by months_110 

Glenn pool_ 64 

—discovery of _ 78 

—production in 1907-8_ 79 

Goodland limestone _-_ 59 

Gotebo field_ 71 

Gotebo pool 

—description __'_ 149 

—well log _ 150 

Grady County, conditions_ 174 

Granite, development at_ 150 

Grant County, conditions_ 174 

Greer County, conditions_ 175 

Gulf Pipe Line Company_ 78 

—pipe line - 165 

—cost of properties_ 167 

Harmon County conditions_ 175 

Harper County, conditions_175 

Hartshorne sandstone _ 51 

Haskell County, conditions_ 175 

Healdton well_ 146 

Henryetta, development near_ 80 

Henryetta-Schulter pool _ 114 

History, Oklahoma oil and gas industry_ 75 

Hogshooter limestone _ 47 

Hogshooter pool 

—description _ 100 

—development of _ 79 

—well log-- 102 

—well record and initial production__ 102 
















































INDEX 


191 


Holdenville shale •_ 

Howe anticline_ 

Hughes County, conditions_ 

Hunton limestone _ 

Instruments, use of in prospecting-. 

Iron, coloring due to_ 

—tests to determine_ 

Jackfork sandstone _ 

Jackson County, conditions_ 

Jefferson County, conditions_ 

Johnston County, conditions_ 

Kansas field, history_ 

Kay county, conditions_ 

Kay Coynty district_ 

Kerosent, proportion to heavier oils 

Kiamichi formation _ 

Kingfisher County, conditions- 

Kinta development - 

Kiowa County, conditions- 

Labette shale - 

Latimer County, conditions- 

Lawton field _ 

Lawton pool - 

LeFlore County, conditions_ 

t 

Lehigh, development - 

Lenapah limestone _ 

Lenses - 

Lincoln County, conditions- 

Loco field-- 

Loco pool 

—description - 

—well logs - 

Logan County, conditions- 

Love County, conditions- 

Madill field - 

Madill pool - 

Major County, conditions- 

Marshall County - 

Mayes County, conditions- 

McAlester anticline - 

MbAlester shale-- 

McClain County, conditions..— 

McCurtain County - 

McIntosh County, conditions- 

Member, definition - 

Mid-Continent field, history- 

Milton anticline - 


_ 53 

.. 178 

_176 

_ 56 

. 30 

. 28 

_ 28 

_ 55 

-71, .176 

_176 

_176 

_ 75 

_176 

..128 

_ 11 

_ 59 

_177 

_143 

_177 

_ 46 

_177 

_ 71 

_149 

_ 178 

_141 

_ 47 

_ 19 

_179 

_ 71 

_147 

_ 147 

_179 

_180 

_ 67 

68, 69, 143 

_180 

_69, 81 

_181 

_177 

_51, 142 

_180 

_69, 180 

_180 

_ 9 

_ 75 

_179 














































192 


INDEX 


Mississippi Lime .--- 

Monocline, definition of..— 

Morris pool. 

—description - 

—well record -- 

—well log _ 

Monocline, relation to deposits of oil or gas 

Movement, of oil and gas 

—discussion of.... 

Murray County, conditions- 

Muskogee County, conditions- 

Muskogee district - 

Morris pool opened- 

Muskogee pool -- 

—description _ 

1 —well record _ 

—well log ---- 

Natural gas, accumulation of- 

—conditions of occurrence- 

—nature of _ 

—theory of origin_ 

—situation --- 

Natural gas, record of industry- 

—waste of - 

Newkirk -- 

Noble County, conditions- 

Nowata County, conditions_ 

Nowata district, location_ 

Nowata pool 

—description _ 

—typical well logs_ 

Nowata shale _ 

Oil-bearing rocks --- 

Oil fields, classification of_ 

Oils, asphalt _ 

Oils, Oklahoma 

—character of _ 

—analyses of___ 

Oils, paraffin-base _ 

Okfuskee County, conditions_ 

Oklahoma County, conditions_ 

Oklahoma Pipe Line Company.. 

—pipe line_____ 

—cost of properties.__ 

Okmulgee County, conditions_ 

Okmulgee district.. 

Oread limestone ___ 

Organic remains, relation to deposits_ 

Origin of oil and gas, inorganic theory of_ 

Origin of oil and gas, organic theory of_ 


8, 63 

6 

.. Ill 
112 
__ 113 

.. 12 

.. 14 

181 
__ 181 
115 
.. 78 

- 79 
115 
115 

.. 116 

15 

11 

10 

__ 13 

158 

.. 161 

159 

- 133 

181 
181 
.. 84 

87 

88 

.. 47 

12 

.. 17 

__ 11 

151 
.. 156 

.. 11 
.. 181 
.. 382 

„ 80 
„ 166 

- 167 

__ 182 
111 
__ 48 

-- 12 
13 

-- 13 
















































INDEX 


193 


Osage County, conditions.. 

Osage district 

—description ___ 

—government leasing restrictions. 
—blanket lease granted covering,. 

—regulations on lessees_ 

—statistics of production_ 

Osage field - 

Osage Junction, development near_ 

Osage Junction pool.. 

Osage Nation, development... 

Osage Nation, smaller pools.. 

Oswego lime... 

Ottawa County, conditions... 

Ouachita Mountain region- 

—location -- 

—stratigraphy _ 

—structure - 

Outcrop, definition _ 

Ozark Mountain region- 

Pawnee County, conditions- 

Pawnee County district- 

Pawnee limestone - 

Payne County, conditions- 

Pennsylvanian area- 

—north of Arkansas River_ 

—south of Arkansas River_ 

Pennsylvanian rocks - 

—structure of _ 

Petroleum, composition of.. 

—conditions of occurrence- 

—nature of - 

Pipe lines - 

Pitkin limestone _ 

Pittsburg County, conditions- 

Poteau, development near- 

Poteau gas field--— 

Pottawatomie County, conditions—... 
Ponca City pool 

—description - 

—well log .. 

—structure - 

—development -- 

—productive sands.- 

—deeper sands - 

Pontotoc County, conditions- 

Pools, relation to topographic features 
Porosity, as a factor in accumulation. 
—effect on life of well.. 

Prairie Oil and Gas Company- 

—pipe line - 



182 


117 


118 


118 


118 


122 


64 


80 


121 

76, 

77 


121 


9 


182 


65 


54 


54 


55 


6 

40, 

63 


183 


122 


46 


183 

43, 

64 


44 

50, 

53 


68 


49 


11 


11 


10 


164 


41 


183 


139 


65 


183 


129 


129 


130 


130 

__ 

131 


132 


183 


24 


19 


20 


78 


165 




















































194 


INDEX 


Preston pool, opening of- 80 

—description - 113 

—well log_113 

—well record - HI 

Production of petroleum, table- 82 

Production, initial, table of-..- 83 

Production, variation due to porosity-- 20 

Prospecting - 22 

Pushmataha County, conditions-183 

Reagan sandstone -56, 58 

Redbeds ---58, 60, 69 

—expense of drilling- 74 

—of what composed_ 70 

—occurrences in -143 

Red Fork district- 76 

Red Oak, development-143 

Red River limestone region.-- 58, 67 

Refining 

—processes - 168 

—list of refineries- 169 

Rocks, age of-*- 7 

—how indicated _ 8 

—classes - 1 

—cretaceous _ 8 

—igneous _ 1 

—Mississippian _ 8 

—nature of _ 22 

—Pennsylvanian _ 8 

—Permian _ 8 

—principal systems in Oklahoma_ 8 

—Redbeds _ 9 

—sedimentary _ 1 

—structure of_ 5 

Roger Mills County, conditions__ 184 

Rogers County, conditions_184 

Salt water, relation to deposits_ 12 

—under Mississippi lime_ 63 

Sandstone Hills region_43, 64 

Sapulpa district _ _ _107 

Savanna sandstone _ 51 

Sea bottom, changes_ 4 

Seeps, oil _ 27 

—relation to deposits_ 12 

Seminole conglomerate_ 53 

Seminole County, conditions_ 184 

Senora formation _ 53 

Sequoyah County, conditions_ 184 

Shallow field _ 77 

“Shooting,” purpose of_ 12 

Silo sandstone _ 59 

Simpson formation _56, 66 



















































INDEX 


195 


Simpson sandstone _ 

Spiro, development __ 

Standley shale _ 

Stephens County, conditions__ 

Strike, definition of_ 

Stringtown shale _ 

Structure, methods of determining_ 

Stuart shale _ 

Sugarloaf syncline _ 

Surface, relation to deposits_ 

Surface features, relation to structure_ 

Sycamore limestone _ 

Sylvan shale _ 

Syncline, definitions of_ 

Tahlequah, development near___ 

Talihina chert _ 

Territory, favorable for prospecting_ 

Tertiary region _ 

—structure - 

—stratigraphy _ 

Texas Company _ 

—pipe line- 

—cost of properties_ 

Texas Counties, condiions_ 

Texas fields__ 

Thurman sandstone - 

Tillman County _ 

—conditions _ 

Tishomingo granite _ 

Transportation - 

“Trends” _ 

Trinity sand - 

Tulsa County, conditions- 

Tulsa district - 

Tyner formation - 

Unconformity - 

U. S. Geological Survey 

—reconnaissance in Tillman and Cotton counties._ 

Vian, development - 

Viola limestone - 

Wagoner County, conditions- 

Wann pool 

—description .--- 

—well record - 

Wapanucka limestone - 

Washingon County, conditions- 

Washita County, conditions - 

Water, presence of--- 


_ 68 
_ 142 
. 55 

_ 184 
. 6 
. 54 

_ 32 

_ 51 

_ 178 
. 12 


_ 56 

_ 56 

_ 6 

_ 76 

_ 55 

_ 24 

_ 60 

_ 61 

_ 61 

_ 78 

_165 

_166 

_ 184 

_ 71 

_ 51 

_ 71 

_ 184 

_ 56 

_164 

_ 26 

59, 67, 69 

_185 

_102 

_41, 63 

_ 4 

_ 71 

_142 

_56, 58 

_185 

_95 

_ 95 

_ 51 

_ 185 

_185 

_ 20 















































NQV 23 1913 


196 


INDEX 


Wells, locating of.-- 34 

Wells, number completed in Oklahoma_ 82 

Wetumka shale - 53 

Wewoka 

—development _ 137 

—well log - 138 

Wewoka formation_ 53 

Wheeler field _67, 71 

Wheeler field discovered- 77 

Wheeler pool _ 144 

Wichita Mountains _ 70 

Wichita Mountain region_58, 67 

Wichita mountains, occurrences near___143 

Wild-catting, value of_ 37 

Wilson formation _ 47 

Woodford chert ___!_ 56 

Woods County, conditions_185 

Woodward County, conditions_ 185 




■X 8 32 



























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